An Indecent Proposal
by sassy-satine
Summary: Its almost a year into the clone wars. Anakin, Padme and Obi-Wan have been captured by Count Dooku. An indecent proposal is their only hope of freedom. Obidala.
1. Default Chapter

Well hello everyone! I'm back a bit sooner than I thought but I got this idea a few days ago and it kept on bugging me until I finally wrote the first chapter today. It's a little different from what I've done before, maybe a little darker but I'm hoping you guys will love it. As you may have guessed this one is not part of my Obidala series but it is an Obidala story.  
  
As the title suggests, I took a tiny bit of inspiration from the film but I haven't seen it for ages and as this is star wars don't expect it to stay too closely to it. Just the basic plot.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't make any money from it so be a good boy and don't sue me Mr Lucas.  
  
Summary: Its almost a year into the clone wars, Anakin, Padme and Obi-Wan have been captured by Count Dooku and an indecent proposal is their only hope of freedom. Warning Obidala.  
  
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An Indecent Proposal  
  
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His body involuntarily shivered for what felt like the thousandth time as yet another chill went down his spine.  
  
His impatient, over active, body protested again against the tight confinement it had been placed within.  
  
His back ached beyond reason, his muscles stiff from the awkward position he'd kept his body in for......... force knows how long.  
  
It was finally time to admit that meditation was out of the question, there was just no way he was going to find his centre while his mind raced with so many thoughts and his body pumped with unused adrenaline.  
  
Stretching out the aches and pains he slowly laid his lanky body out on the damp floor, the soles of his feet coming into contact with the rough stone cold wall as his legs straightened fully, causing him to flinch slightly from the sharp change in temperature.  
  
He cursed himself again, how many more times was that going to happen?  
  
He hated not being able to see the cell that currently encompassed him, but there was no escaping the darkness that surrounded him.  
  
No hope of the light breaking through to bring back some kind of clarification of what his life had become.  
  
Time, it seemed, had ceased to exist since their capture.  
  
How long had it been now?  
  
Was it hours, days, weeks or months?  
  
He couldn't be sure.  
  
Rational thought told him that it couldn't be any more than a few days, maybe a week, but here in the darkness rational thought was elusive.  
  
It was at times like this that he wished he could be more like his Master, something told him that Obi-Wan was probably having no trouble coping with the hellish conditions.  
  
He found both admiration and resentment fill him as he thought of the man who was like a father to him.  
  
Obi-Wan Kenobi, the perfect Jedi.  
  
Anakin berated himself for thinking of his mentor in such a venomous way.  
  
He put it down to the prolonged exposure to the shadowy environment he found himself in, but buried deep down within him, he knew that part of him couldn't help but be resentful of the perfect example his Master painted.  
  
He wished he could feel Obi-Wan in his mind but thanks to the force collar he, and no doubt his Master, wore their bond was blocked.  
  
Despite what he sometimes thought of his Master, his presence was calming in situations like this.  
  
He longed for some kind of advice of how to settle his troubled mind.  
  
Anakin knew that when Obi-Wan had been a Padawan he'd been in this type of situation more than once and been tortured along with it.  
  
He guessed that he should be thankful that so far nothing like that was going to happen this time.  
  
But then, how could he be sure that that wasn't happening now?  
  
All he knew was that it wasn't happening to him.  
  
For all he knew his Master could already be dead, or worse still she could be..........  
  
Anger filled his veins as the thought of her death entered his mind.  
  
If they'd so much as lain a finger on her he swore he'd kill them the moment he had the chance.  
  
There was no telling how these savages would treat a woman.  
  
The image of his exhausted mother flashed through his mind, he made his hands into fists as he remembered the painful event of her death.  
  
He should have gotten to her sooner.  
  
If Obi-Wan had let him explore deeper why he'd been dreaming of her when it first occurred then he was sure he could have saved her.  
  
For a moment he couldn't control the anger that was now coursing through him and he lashed out, punching into the solid wall of his cell.  
  
He relished the feeling pain brought.  
  
He couldn't see any blood but he knew that he'd cut his knuckles open but that only brought him more satisfaction.  
  
Slowly his body somewhat calmed as he pictured his wife, his angel.  
  
She was probably scared stiff, all alone in her cell, no doubt crying out for him to come rescue her.  
  
She'd most likely never been held like this before, not even when they were held on Geneosis.  
  
What kind of a husband was he to let his wife be treated like this?  
  
He was going to be a Jedi, the most powerful Jedi in history; he should be able to protect those that he loved.  
  
How had he let this happen?  
  
If only she would listen to him and leave the Senate.  
  
She didn't belong there anymore, not when the Senate was growing more and more dangerous everyday, not now that she was married.  
  
Well this was the final straw; she would have to listen to him now.  
  
Once he got them out of this he would demand she step down.  
  
He would no longer allow her to put herself in so much danger, not now that she was his wife.  
  
Not that he could refer to her as such in public, which he hated more than anything.  
  
Damn the code!  
  
He was the chosen one for force's sake!  
  
He should be allowed to take a wife.  
  
He became increasingly agitated with the unfairness of it all, his hand unclenching and clenching as he let himself be ruled by his emotions.  
  
Silence was broken by the painful screeching of the door to his cell scraping across the damp concrete floor as it was pushed open.  
  
In the blink of an eye he was on his feet, ready to fight off anything that came at him.  
  
He'd hoped that with the door open light would flood the room but to his disappointment everything remained pitch black.  
  
He couldn't see a thing and with the force collar around his neck he couldn't use the force to let him know what was about to happen.  
  
His eyes played tricks on him in the dark, his mind imagining different objects coming into his cell.  
  
Fear crept in, his breathing quickening in anticipation.  
  
He couldn't concentrate and he never noticed the two figures that crept to within inches of him.  
  
He never knew they were there until their electro-spike rods were jabbed into his body, causing him to fall to the ground and cry out in pain.  
  
Once on the floor he was set upon by two more figures, wrestling with him until they had him cuffed and blindfolded.  
  
Anakin continued to struggle with his assailants until they finally had enough and saw fit to knock him unconscious.  
  
Tbc.........  
  
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Ok now you guys should know if you've read my other stuff that I don't consider Padme to be a weak character but hey this is Anakin's mind. By this time he's already on his way on the bad path and I'm trying to push his possessiveness. So have no fear, I don't write a weak Padme. I hope you like what I've done so far. I don't know for sure when I'll update. It could very well be tomorrow. So keep an eye out. Please Review! Thanks, Sassy. 


	2. Chapter 2

Back with the next chapter. You have no idea how hard this was to write. I had to do a lot of rewrites before I was anywhere near happy with it. I'm still not entirely happy with it towards the end but it's the best that I could get it.  
  
Just wanted to say thanks to Adelaide for her review. I really do appreciate it, and you and you had better get another chapter of your story up soon!  
  
Please be kind with your reviews!  
  
Enjoy.  
  
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Pain was the only feeling he was aware of as he was gradually being pulled back into an uncertain reality that he wasn't totally sure he wanted to face.  
  
His head felt like someone was crushing it against a steel wall, the pressure increasing until he thought it might explode at any second.  
  
His mind was a maze of questions without the hope of answers.  
  
Blinking rapidly his eyes tried to bring the blurry world around him into focus.  
  
Having been kept in the dark for so long they found even the dull light within the new room painful, begging him to close them again.  
  
Where was he?  
  
His tired mind tried to work around the sharp pain it still felt while trying to recognise the age worn voice that his ears could barely pick up.  
  
After his eyes finally adjusted to the new conditions he was able to see the tall figure standing across the room with its back to him.  
  
He should have recognised the black outfit and white hair straight away but it wasn't until he heard the voice again more clearly that it all fell into place.  
  
"Welcome back young Skywalker. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to wake up. I shall have to tell my troops to be more careful next time."  
  
Anakin's eyebrows arched in surprise at the realisation of the identity of their captor as the former Master Jedi turned to reveal himself with a broad smile on his face.  
  
"Dooku. So it was you who attacked us in the caves."  
  
Anakin could barely hide the contempt he held for the traitor that stood before him.  
  
"Yes dear boy and I have to say I didn't think it would be so easy but I knew that once I separated you from your Master then it would only be a matter of time until your rash actions would lure you into my trap."  
  
Anger rose within him as Dooku came within a few feet of him, laughing as he congratulated himself of his success.  
  
"Disappointing really, I had hoped that you'd present more of a challenge. Now on the other hand your talented Master had proved much harder to catch. Effectively protecting Senator Amidala until one of my men was finally able to hit him with a shot from our new blaster that disabled him from using the force. Even still it took a number of my men to eventually bring him down."  
  
Dooku paced up and down in front of Anakin as he continued to recount his tale of their capture.  
  
"The Senator had been quite shocked to see the Jedi fall in front of her very eyes and very wisely decided not to put up much of a fight. She did, however, call out for you a few times but gave up when she realised you would not be able to help them."  
  
Anakin's body was itching to break free from his restraints and show the old man what he was really made of, his temper flaring further as he talked about his wife.  
  
"I swear Dooku if you've hurt her then you'd better hope I don't get free because they won't be able to identify your body once I've finished with you."  
  
The Count stopped his march at Anakin's words full of hate, the smile that had continuously been playing at his lips turning into a satisfied grin.  
  
"Now, now Padawan Skywalker hate is not very befitting of a Jedi. What would your Master say?"  
  
"I mean it Dooku, if you've so much as breathed on her in the wrong way I'll........"  
  
"Ok, ok. Calm down she's fine."  
  
"I don't believe you."  
  
The old man sighed in faux annoyance, while he inwardly complimented himself on the brilliance of his plan.  
  
"You can see for yourself young Skywalker."  
  
Anakin watched as a large holo screen was lowered from the ceiling and with the flick of a switch the image of his angel within her cell appeared on screen.  
  
His heart broke to see her delicate body shiver from the chill air that filled her prison although he could be thankful for the fact that she at least had a bed for her to sleep on in the evenings.  
  
He carefully took in her appearance, studying every inch of her to make sure she had no injuries.  
  
While her clothes were slightly torn he couldn't see any obvious damage to her perfect body.  
  
"There, I think that's quite enough. As you can clearly see she has been brought to no harm."  
  
Just as Dooku's hand was about to reach the off button he was halted by Anakin's raised voice.  
  
"Leave it! I want to make sure that she stays safe while I'm stuck here."  
  
"Very well."  
  
The old man expressed no emotion in either his voice or his face as he granted Anakin's request.  
  
"Tell me, would you like to see how your Master is doing?"  
  
He felt the familiar feeling of guilt as he realised that while he had been so concerned with Padme's welfare he hadn't even spared a thought as to the condition of his mentor, especially when Dooku had described his capture to be brutal.  
  
"Yes, I would."  
  
As soon as he'd given his answer the holo screen was split into two halves, one with the cell containing his wife and the other his respected Master.  
  
He was shocked at the state it showed Obi-Wan to be in and wondered what his Master had done to deserve such treatment.  
  
His young Master was standing upright against a wall of his cell to which he was also chained to.  
  
His normally pristine beige tunic was covered in dirt with a couple of dark red patches which he could only assume were blood.  
  
Turning to Dooku he did little to disguise the disgust at the state pf his Master.  
  
"Is that completely necessary?"  
  
Dooku allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips before he answered the question.  
  
"Well yes I'm afraid it was. Your young Master became quite a handful even after we'd placed the force collar around his neck. Too many of my men were coming back injured after delivering his meals so it was either we restrain him or we kill him and I wasn't quite ready for that to happen yet. I'm sure you know that your Master has been in this position many times before, having learnt to adapt to being deprived of the force and so I thought it safer for all if he were kept more forcibly under control."  
  
Anakin couldn't help but smile as he thought of the chaos Obi-Wan had probably caused, he felt so proud.  
  
Taking a closer look at the man who had raised him he could see that even despite the savage treatment he'd received in the past days he still presented a calm stature, looking as if he had been able to meditate more than once.  
  
Obi-Wan Kenobi, the eternal professional.  
  
Anakin's view became obscured as the stick thin figure of Count Dooku stepped in front of the screen, ending his silent marvel at his Master.  
  
"I have to ask, what exactly were the two of you doing here? I shall admit that I was quite shocked to learn that you had arrived on planet, after all I thought you were both in battle."  
  
Anakin lowered his head not wanting his captor to see another wave of guilt wash over him as he remembered the behaviour that had got them in this mess.  
  
"We were ordered by the council to come and help the Senator as they'd been informed that she had been brought under attack."  
  
"That's not the way I hear it. From the reports that I intercepted it appears that you heard that Senator Amidala was in danger and you took off without a moment's notice. Master Kenobi had to come after you and rush through authorisation from the council. Now does that sound more like the truth?"  
  
He found himself becoming more and more frustrated with the situation, finding it increasingly difficult to keep his temper under control.  
  
"What does it matter why we came here? She was still in danger and she needed our help."  
  
"It wasn't so long ago that I was part of the Jedi Order and I can quite clearly recall that attachment was forbidden young Padawan."  
  
He wanted to smack the taunting smile that Count Dooku threw his way right off his face.  
  
"I don't know what you're trying to get at, I have not attachments."  
  
"Come now Padawan Skywalker, I'm not a stupid man. I know full well the relationship you have with the beautiful Senator."  
  
His mind reeled at the knowledge that the former Jedi Master knew everything about his secret marriage but as Anakin stared at him intently, trying desperately to not give away any emotion, he wondered if this was just another one of his mind games.  
  
It was more than likely that he knew nothing and was just waiting to see if Anakin was going to drop himself in it.  
  
Yes, that was it.  
  
"If it's any consolation to you, I'm sure that few Jedi could resist her womanly charms."  
  
He bristled at the Count's words and the implied meaning behind them.  
  
He wouldn't rise to the bait though, not this time.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you Dooku but there is nothing between the Senator and I except a deep friendship."  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
Anakin didn't miss the raised eyebrow on the old man's face and the scepticism in his voice.  
  
Not trusting his own voice he could only nod a reply.  
  
"I don't believe you but......."  
  
He tried to cut him off but a raised hand hushed his protest.  
  
"But I'm going to give you the opportunity to prove it to me."  
  
"And what would that be?"  
  
"A chance of freedom. In return for the freedom of yourself, the Senator and your Master you must prove to me that you have no attachment to Amidala."  
  
Anakin couldn't control the laughter that erupted from within him at the man's proposal.  
  
"It's that simple?"  
  
Dooku only nodded in response.  
  
"Ok well what do I have to do?"  
  
This was going to be so easy.  
  
"Well you won't have to physically do anything as such; all you'll have to do is sit back and watch."  
  
"Watch what?"  
  
He had to admit he was more than a little confused.  
  
His confusion turned into nervousness at the look of barely concealed glee on Dooku's heavily aged face.  
  
"Watch as your Master takes Senator Amidala, your 'friend', in the most primal of ways."  
  
Just the suggestion of his Master and wife engaged in such an act was enough to make his blood boil with jealousy.  
  
He couldn't be serious though, how did he ever expect him to agree to such a thing?  
  
Denying Padme was his wife wasn't worth that.  
  
"Why would I accept such a vile offer?"  
  
"Because if you don't then instead of watching that you would have to watch both the lovely Senator and your beloved Master be executed right in front of you and all hope of freedom will be lost. If there's truly nothing between you and Amidala then there shouldn't be a problem. After all, its only sex. You don't have to decide right now. You'll be taken back to your cell and then you'll have until tomorrow morning to make your mind up."  
  
Tbc.....  
  
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Ok well I hope the ending to the chapter works ok. I found it really hard to work out how I could get Dooku to make his proposal. I always figured he was a bit of a perv anyway, lol. Let me know what you think. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible. Thanks, Sassy. 


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone! Wow such a great response from the last chapter!! Wasn't expecting that really. Thank you to my new reviewers Sandman and Solo7MBP, its great to find I have new readers all the time. Your reviews really helped to motivate me in to getting this next chapter up as soon as possible.  
  
Saskia, I'd been checking your site to see what you'd say about the story and I just want to say thank you my dear. You never fail to bring a smile to my face with all your lovely words. YOU are the best!!  
  
Ok well I have the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy.  
  
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Anakin tossed and turned on the unforgivably hard floor of his prison cell in a constant state of restlessness that was almost unbearable.  
  
Hours flew past as he continuously contemplated his answer to Dooku's unreasonable offer, his mind becoming the worst torture chamber possible.  
  
He thought he'd experienced harsh punishments when he had been a slave as a young boy but this, this would prove to be the harshest punishment of all.  
  
Punishment for breaking the code, for becoming attached, for falling in love.  
  
As if it wasn't enough that he never get to see his beloved wife, never able to address her as such in public, having to deny her everything, the force had decided to throw this upon him.  
  
It wasn't fair, the force was asking too much this time, especially when he couldn't even connect with it for guidance on his current predicament, the force collar keeping him blocked from it.  
  
Hadn't he suffered enough over the past year?  
  
Had the death of his mother and separation from his angel not caused an adequate amount of pain?  
  
Apparently not.  
  
The force seemed to have a 'lets kick him when he's down' attitude towards him at the moment.  
  
Of course his current situation wasn't entirely the fault of the force but Dooku did make his decisions on the basis of the advice of the force and through him it had pushed Anakin into a corner, a corner he couldn't figure a way out of, and for that it was to be held partially responsible.  
  
For years he had been taught that the life of a Jedi was not an easy one but why this?  
  
Why did he have to make this decision?  
  
Was the force really this vengeful?  
  
All he'd done was break one little rule.  
  
He really didn't see what the big deal was.  
  
Anakin deluded himself into thinking that nothing had changed, that his marriage had only made him a better person, and that his commitment to the Order and his Master was as strong as always.  
  
In the deep recesses of his quickly shadowing heart he knew the truth, the truth of all the jealousy, possessiveness and the hatred.  
  
But for the moment he was able to still pretend and pretend he would, for as long as possible.  
  
If it was just his own life that was at risk then his decision would have been made instantly, for he was almost sure that he would rather die than see her in the arms of another man but that wasn't to be the case.  
  
Selfishly and ashamedly he even concluded that he would probably prefer to see his Master, his closest friend, his father, die than have him touch his wife in such a private way.  
  
None of this mattered.  
  
The only thing that had him thinking this over so heavily was the fact that her life was at risk.  
  
He couldn't bear to be without her.  
  
The only way he survived the separation from her was the knowledge that she was alive, that she was breathing and that one day they would be together again soon.  
  
But if she died he didn't know what he'd do.  
  
He didn't think he'd be able to endure such an event.  
  
But then to know that another man had touched her, kissed her, tasted her and been inside of her, he would probably go insane and die a death himself.  
  
And again some small part of him would rather see her die than have such a thing happen.  
  
He quickly buried that thought though, worried by the truth behind it.  
  
Why did life have to be so hard?  
  
Why couldn't he have it easy for once?  
  
Just once, that's all he was asking for.  
  
It was all very well him saying yes but how could he ask Padme to carry out such an act?  
  
How could he ask such a loyal and beautiful creature to knowingly break the vows they had made to each other on their wedding day?  
  
How could he ask her to give herself to another man and not just any other man but Obi-Wan?  
  
He supposed that he should be somewhat thankful that it would be Obi-Wan, someone he trusted with his life and someone who had been a good friend to his wife but he wasn't.  
  
In some ways he wished it would be a complete stranger, so that he wouldn't ever have to lay eyes on the man again but he only marginally preferred this option.  
  
It didn't really matter, he didn't want it to happen and he wouldn't be happy whoever it was.  
  
Padme was his and his alone; he shouldn't have to put up with any man touching her.  
  
It was bad enough that she'd had boyfriends before him; now that they were married he should be the only man in her life, her mind and her heart.  
  
Was that really too much to expect?  
  
He guessed so.  
  
And even if he did ask her to do this, she would probably say no.  
  
She was such a stubborn person at times.  
  
He had no doubt that she would flat out refuse to do it, saying that it was uncivilised, beneath her and disrespectful to her.  
  
She would probably argue to Dooku that he couldn't make her pay a ransom in such a way, that it would make her no better than a common prostitute.  
  
There really wasn't anything to stop her from saying no.  
  
Although she had always been pretty much a selfless person, her sense of duty to others always making her put herself last.  
  
He imagined that she'd almost certainly have the same reaction as him, that if it were only her life at stake then she'd stand her ground and refuse.  
  
She also knew that he'd rather die than make her go against her will but Obi-Wan, he was a different factor entirely.  
  
She wouldn't want to send Obi-Wan to his death just to prove a point, not after all he had done for her.  
  
Even after they had raced to Geneosis to save his Master's life she still didn't think that she'd fully repaid the dept that she had made for herself 11 years ago on Naboo.  
  
There was no way that she would want to be responsible for Obi-Wan's death.  
  
If he were to say yes to Dooku then this would most likely be the only angle he could work to get his wife to agree as well.  
  
There was still one more problem that Anakin was yet to add to the equation.  
  
Obi-Wan.  
  
From the moment they had all met Count Dooku they had all held a certain amount of dislike for him but with Obi-Wan it was different.  
  
Anakin had sensed a great tension between the two men, probably because of their very similar yet very different relationships with Master Qui-Gon.  
  
Obi-Wan wouldn't say anything on the subject so Anakin couldn't be sure.  
  
What he could be sure of was that Obi-Wan wouldn't agree to anything that Dooku wanted, even if it meant his life.  
  
And this particular brand of blackmail wouldn't go down well with Obi-Wan.  
  
His Master was a noble man and he knew that he wouldn't think it proper to go along with Dooku's offer.  
  
Sex wasn't really the problem, after all Jedi weren't required to be celibate; the problem would be the circumstances surrounding it.  
  
He knew that Obi-Wan wouldn't feel comfortable using Padme in such a way.  
  
He also knew that his only hope would be to play on Obi-Wan's own sense of duty and selflessness.  
  
If Anakin told him that Padme's life was at stake then maybe Obi-Wan would back down and agree.  
  
The dull headache that had been there constantly through his lengthy silent musings was about to get much worse as hours turned into minutes and minutes into seconds until..........  
  
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Count Dooku sat back, settling himself into a more comfortable position in the large black chair that was situated in the middle of his control room.  
  
He was surrounded by little flashing lights along each of the control panels, everything within his secret compound controlled from the room he now sat in.  
  
He'd remained in the room ever since he'd revealed himself to Skywalker, religiously observing his three star captives as they were confined in their cells.  
  
He couldn't be happier with the way his plan had been working out.  
  
Over a week ago he'd received a message from his Master, telling him of the Jedis' arrival and they'd decided to put the plan they had been working on for the last few months into action.  
  
It hadn't taken long for Sidious to work out that young Skywalker and the Senator had wed on Naboo.  
  
His Master had spies everywhere.  
  
Dooku knew that Sidious had had his eye on the unpredictable Padawan for some time, grooming him to become a future Sith apprentice but he still didn't see what was so special about him.  
  
Of course he'd heard about what his own late apprentice had believed the young man to be but he personally didn't see it.  
  
There was no questioning the raw power that the boy had but it wasn't controlled and he lacked the ability to use it effectively.  
  
The Sith certainly looked for raw power in their students but it was no good if they weren't going to use it in the right ways.  
  
They may not have as many rules as the Jedi but they had rules all the same.  
  
His Master had always known about the unhealthy attachment Skywalker had to Senator Amidala and had always planned on using it to his advantage.  
  
Now that they were married that attachment would be ten fold and now was the perfect time to capitalise on it.  
  
If Anakin were to accept his offer then there was no way that he would be able to resist the calling of the dark side.  
  
It may not happen straight away but it wouldn't take long.  
  
The jealousy would eat away at him and the knowledge that his wife had been with his Master would be constantly present in the back of his mind.  
  
The trust would be shattered between both relationships.  
  
Dooku had already felt the envy Anakin held towards Obi-Wan back on Geneosis.  
  
Of course the boy had a deep bond of love with Obi-Wan but there was no denying the very real resentment he had towards him as well.  
  
Sidious had known this early on and played on it ever since, feeding Anakin's ego.  
  
The result was the enormous arrogance the Padawan now contained, believing himself to have long surpassed the abilities of his Master.  
  
He supposed it had been hard for Anakin to deal with all the compliments that Obi-Wan unwittingly received, after all Obi-Wan couldn't control what others thought and said about him.  
  
He imagined that Anakin had quickly become fed up with his Master being referred to as the great Sith killer; he suspected that the apprentice would prefer that title to have been reserved for him at a later date.  
  
Dooku himself had heard many great things about Obi-Wan through the length of the young Knight's life.  
  
He hadn't lied to Obi-Wan back on Geneosis; Qui-Gon had indeed spoken highly of him.  
  
His late Padawan would always pour out words of wonder and adoration about 'the light if his life'.  
  
He knew now what Qui-Gon had meant by the statement.  
  
After having been in the presence of Obi-Wan Kenobi he could quite honestly say that he had one of the brightest souls he'd ever seen.  
  
He was everything a Jedi should be.  
  
That was probably why Anakin held so much resentment towards him, it must be hard to live up to the perfection he had for an example.  
  
If Anakin did agree then the envy he had of Obi-Wan would only grow and it would only be a matter of time.  
  
This really was an excellent plan.  
  
Anakin would try and deny his relationship with Amidala, to try and save their lives but the result would be to only ruin the very lives he was trying to protect.  
  
He heard the chime on the door to the control room and watched as it opened, his men marching in with his prime captive.  
  
He already knew what the answer would be but decided to humour the boy by asking anyway.  
  
"Well what say you, young Skywalker?"  
  
Clouded eyes made contact with his and he was even more certain of the answer.  
  
"Fine Dooku, you win, I accept."  
  
Tbc......  
  
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Well what do you think? Reviews are so very welcome. I'm really getting into this story and I have most of it planned out in my head. Hopefully updates will continue to come every few days, but now that I've said that I'm bound to get a dose of writer's block, lol. Reviews will help to cure that though, lol. Thanks for reading, Sassy. 


	4. Chapter 4

Hi I'm back! I'm so sorry that I didn't get this up sooner. Unfortunately I wasn't well on my days off last week and didn't have the energy to write and then I had to go back to work and didn't have time to write. Which is all very annoying because I really wanted to get this chapter up right away.  
  
Anyway I want to say a huge thank you to everyone. I can't believe all the reviews I got for the last chapter, that is absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much for the encouraging emails as well, it all really helps. So big thanks go out to Solo, Adelaide, Mickey, Tori-Den, Aiska, Lady McClellan and finally Darkness-knight. I loved everything you all said, your reviews were all encouraging and I loved reading them.  
  
Ok I'm going to stop rambling now so that you guys can get on and read what you actually came here for.  
  
Please enjoy!  
  
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Hands forcefully gripped her upper arms, fingers digging into her smooth skin causing her no small amount of pain as she reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled and pushed down an unknown trail.  
  
Her body was stiff, her movements awkward as her natural defences were raised due to the blindfold that covered her eyes, making it impossible for her to know where she was being taken.  
  
She'd had no choice but to comply with the treatment she was currently receiving, she had no weapon to fight back with and it probably wouldn't be a good idea to pick a fight with several heavily armed men, she may be passionate but she wasn't stupid.  
  
She'd been more than a little surprised when they had burst into her cell pulling her to the ground, slamming on handcuffs and tying the blindfold around her eyes, the shock of so much movement after so many days of stillness had kept her rooted to the spot and unable to defend herself.  
  
She cursed herself for her own weakness but there was no point in dwelling on that thought now as she had to keep he wits about her for what was about to happen.  
  
In some ways she was thankful that some action was starting to take place, all that time cooped up in her cell she'd been beginning to wonder if they even knew she was still there.  
  
She hadn't had much experience in this type of situation and certainly not for this amount of time, so she wasn't sure what to expect.  
  
The little girl in her was a little scared at the new turn of events and the speed with which it had all developed but the warrior inside her quelled all such fears, banishing them from conscious thought.  
  
She tried to think of Anakin and what he would do in this situation but upon picturing what his actions would be she decided that that wouldn't be the right route to go.  
  
The thought of her love made her heart leap, her mind racing, wondering what might have happened to him for what felt like the millionth time.  
  
He'd been one of her constant worries since they'd been separated during the attack that had led to her capture.  
  
She had no idea whether he was even still alive and she wouldn't until she was face to face with the people behind all of this.  
  
She held out hope that he was fine, that he had either escaped or been captured just like she and Obi-Wan.  
  
She'd worried about the Jedi Master too after seeing the beating he'd taken before succumbing to their attackers.  
  
She could only hope that her friend had been able to recover since then.  
  
She was brought to a sudden stop, having only just started to get used to the manhandling of her body.  
  
She could hear the unlocking and opening of a door while she tried to calm her frantic heartbeat.  
  
No words were spoken as she was harshly pushed and unable to control herself, fell to the surprisingly somewhat soft floor.  
  
The next thing she heard was the loud slamming of the door she assumed she'd previously just heard open moments before.  
  
She couldn't stop the small amount of fear that crept into her soul as her imagination pictured so many different scenarios of what might happen to her.  
  
The darkness and loss of her sight made it all the more easier for her to imagine the worst.  
  
Lonely minutes passed before she felt the electronic handcuffs she wore snap open and fall to the floor.  
  
With reflexes quicker than she thought she possessed, her hands flew up to her face and wildly ripped the blindfold from her eyes.  
  
She blinked several times until her vision became focused again and she was shocked at what she saw.  
  
Her mind had to work hard to process all the colours, rich earthy tones of red, brown, yellow and green with hints of purple, orange and blue that filled the large room along with the lavish furniture it contained.  
  
Her eyes almost couldn't take it after having been kept in the dark for so long.  
  
She sat dumbfounded in the middle of the room finding herself unable to move just in case it all turned out to be a dream.  
  
Confusion filled her as she tried to work out what was happening.  
  
Why was she here?  
  
Where was here?  
  
Padme frantically searched the room, her eyes feasting on everything there was to see, for any sign of another person.  
  
There was none.  
  
She was alone.  
  
Slowly she stood to get a better look at her surroundings and like a moth to a flame she was drawn to the welcoming heat of the fire that crackled at the far side of the room.  
  
She relished the comforting feel that the heat brought to her cold tired body.  
  
It took her almost too long to notice the glamorously decorated large four poster bed that she had been sitting in front of seconds before.  
  
She stared at it for endless moments, wondering at its presence in the room and slightly uneasy about its meaning.  
  
Looking at it she had the urge to go over and indulge in the predictable softness and warmth of its many pillows, sheets and covers.  
  
It reminded her of the bed she'd slept in when she had been Queen of Naboo and she could just imagine how wonderful it would be to curl up and fall asleep within so much comfort.  
  
Her recently ill treated body begged her to go to it and forget all her troubles but after taking in a deep breath her nose caught the many scents that made her empty stomach rumble loudly, causing her body to change its desire to that of food.  
  
Turning around, the long table came into view, piled on top was masses of food that made her mouth water from just the sight of it.  
  
After days of only two meals a day she'd started to train her body to stop craving the elaborate meals she was used to.  
  
It had worked and the hunger pains had subsided slightly but now it all came flooding back and her body was letting her know just how hungry it was.  
  
Without realising it she had begun walking towards the table, her hand reaching out for a rather juicy looking grape when suddenly the door flew open.  
  
She almost jumped out of her skin as she stood as still as possible while she watched as another body was thrown into the room by two men and then the door was shut as quickly as it had opened.  
  
In split seconds she recognised the Jedi uniform despite the tattered state it was in and she ran across the room to aid the Jedi to a sitting position, anxious to find out who it was.  
  
Carefully she removed the black hood that had been covering the head and her heart leapt into her throat at the sight of the man before her.  
  
"Obi-Wan! What did they do to you?"  
  
Her hands caressed the cuts on his face, her fingers softly sliding over a small bump at the corner of his forehead.  
  
Her hand froze as he hissed in a breath from the contact she made with the bruised area.  
  
"Padme? Is that you?"  
  
His voice was laced with both worry and hope as pained eyes met hers, tears welling within her own at the state of her friend.  
  
"Yes it's me, its ok I'm here."  
  
He began to fidget, trying to sit up in a straighter position and she had to reach forward to hold his shoulders to stop him from falling over.  
  
"Did they hurt you?"  
  
She couldn't help the smile that found its way onto her face, just like Obi- Wan to think of someone else's wellbeing before his own when he was clearly the one that was worse off.  
  
In a soothing voice she eased his worry while her hand found itself resting on his bearded cheek.  
  
"No, no they didn't, I'm fine. But you, they seemed to go to work on you quite a lot."  
  
A small chuckle escaped him followed by a slight wince from pain.  
  
"You should see the other guys."  
  
She tried not to find the cheeky smile he gave her endearing, forcing herself not to smile as well and instead make a more serious expression appear on her face.  
  
She no longer had to try though as her eyes caught a glint from the shiny metal that was secured around his neck.  
  
Curious fingers slid along the smooth surface of the device.  
  
"Is this what I think it is?"  
  
She already knew the answer but she wanted him to confirm it anyway, which he did with a silent nod of his head.  
  
"Nothing I haven't had to deal with before, don't worry I'm fine."  
  
"Obi-Wan."  
  
Her voice carried a warning tone that told him not to keep the truth from her and from what she could tell he seemed to understand.  
  
"Really Padme, I'm fine, it's nothing I can't handle."  
  
She let her eyes sweep over the mess that was his normally cream tunic.  
  
She didn't miss the two large dark red patches amongst the mass of stains that were obviously the result of dried blood.  
  
Looking up she saw that his eyes had followed the direction of hers before they met her gaze once again, she could clearly see the message within them that told her not to try and carry on the conversation and before she could say anything else he spoke.  
  
"So where are we anyway?"  
  
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He'd sat silently looking down on her secretly through the two-way mirror that was high up on the wall opposite the bed, giving him a clear view of everything that went on in the room.  
  
His eyes had gone unnoticed as they caressed the curves of her body, thankful that she seemed to have remained unharmed from the hard fall she'd received when she entered the room.  
  
He wished that he'd been able to reach out and take her into his arms but instead he'd been made to sit and observe her as she'd taken in her new surroundings.  
  
Anakin had noticed her curiosity in the bed and he'd found his anger flaring as he thought of what was yet to take place in it.  
  
His shock matched her own at the introduction of his Master being thrown harshly to the floor.  
  
She'd ran over to Obi-Wan, no doubt thinking that it had been him, oh how he wished it had been him who had been sent to her instead of his Master.  
  
His own curiosity had peaked though when he'd witnessed her reaction at discovering it was Obi-Wan.  
  
He'd been surprised to hear her call his Master by his first name and the emotion that laced her voice as she'd continued to speak.  
  
He'd been even more surprised to hear his trusted Master use her own first name.  
  
He supposed that he shouldn't be so surprised, they were friends after all and while he'd heard Padme refer to his Master by his first name when Obi- Wan wasn't actually there it still felt odd.  
  
He didn't think he'd ever heard them address each other so intimately when they had both been in his presence before and now he was beginning to think it was only something they did when they were alone.  
  
How many times had they been alone before?  
  
How many times had they met secretly without him?  
  
Her behaviour did nothing to ease his worries as he watched her continue to softly stroke his Master's face, staring into his eyes.  
  
Near uncontrollable jealousy raced through his veins as he continued to watch them interact without their knowledge.  
  
He was seriously tempted to change his mind about the whole situation, thinking that if he couldn't stand what was happening now then there was no way he was going to be able to cope with what was yet to come.  
  
Time was not on his side though and there would be no chance to change his mind as Count Dooku entered the secret room.  
  
Anakin remained silent as Dooku peered into the bedroom, waiting for the older man to make the first move.  
  
He didn't have to wait long.  
  
"Well young Skywalker, shall we intrude upon their lovely reunion now?"  
  
Tbc...  
  
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Ok well that's that chapter. I hope to have the next chapter up either tomorrow or the day after. We're starting to get to juicy bits now so hopefully it only gets better from here on in. Please review and let me know what you think. Take care, Sassy. 


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: Hi everyone, ugh I finally finished this next chapter. You have no idea how hard this was to write. I really have given myself a difficult situation to work through; I had a hard time deciding what character should say what and what their attitude should be. I got there in the end though.  
  
Wow so many reviews again! You guys are really spoiling me and I'm loving it! It's really motivating me to write this as quickly as possible and its great to get so many opinions back, it really helps to see how everyone is reacting to each chapter. Big thanks go out to Adelaide (I loved your review, and girlie I want a new chapter to your story very soon, lol.), Darkess- knight (sorry I got the spelling of your name wrong last time), my new reviewer Ada (thanks for taking the time out to add your comments), Solo (I know I can be cheeky the way I leave the chapters but I have to give you a reason to come back, hehehe.) and lastly mikey (thanks for sticking with me.)  
  
Ok well here we go, please do enjoy!  
  
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He wished that she wouldn't fuss over him; he said he could handle it and he'd meant it, he had no reason to lie about it.  
  
He wasn't happy about the force collar but he could live with it for the time being.  
  
He knew she'd noticed the blood stains on his tunic but he really didn't want to talk about it, however much she thought she might want to know what he'd been through, the truth was that she really didn't and he didn't want to have to tell her either.  
  
She'd only get angry and there wasn't anything she could have done, it had been his choice to behave in a way that resulted in this, besides it wasn't anything he hadn't gone through before.  
  
Being a Jedi often resulted in being tortured by rebels from time to time and this time had by no means been a particularly bad experience, he doubted he'd even give it a second thought once they were free.  
  
Anyway his less than subtle change of conversation had done the trick of letting her know that she shouldn't try and pursue any further discussion about his minor injuries.  
  
He listened quietly as she explained that she'd only been here maybe 15 minutes before he'd been brought in, not having been told anything about why she'd been brought here.  
  
He could see her watching him closely out the corner of his eye as he looked around the luxurious room, taking in as many details as possible.  
  
He could see only two doors, the one he'd come through and another that was located in the right hand corner.  
  
There were no windows, only a fireplace over which hung a large mirror with an elaborately decorated gold frame.  
  
Looking up slightly at the end wall of the room he saw that there was also another large mirror, he thought it strange that it should be so high up, it certainly wouldn't be possible for anyone to look into it and see their own reflection.  
  
Next thing he noticed was the long table just a few feet away from where he sat, its entire surface covered in what looked like all sorts of food from across the galaxies.  
  
He quickly moved on before he became too tempted by the delicious looking treats, his eyes now catching sight of a dark brown wardrobe in another corner of the room before his gaze finally fell upon the extravagant bed that he'd been sitting at the foot of.  
  
By all accounts this looked to be a bedroom fit for royalty and not even he could help but be confused about what they were doing in it.  
  
It just didn't make sense, none of it did.  
  
Why after so long a time of being kept in such harsh conditions were he and Padme now sitting in such a lavish room?  
  
And where was Anakin?  
  
He couldn't be a hundred percent sure that his Padawan had been captured but it was highly unlikely that he'd been able to escape.  
  
If he had been caught then why hadn't he also been brought to this room?  
  
What was going on?  
  
The soft shy touch of her small hand making contact with his shoulder stopped his mind from analysing everything any further.  
  
His first reaction was to just stare at her hand where it lay, his gaze rising slowly to find wide brown eyes looking back at him and then in a voice like that of an innocent child she spoke to him.  
  
"Credit for your thoughts?"  
  
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Oh he was really going to enjoy this.  
  
Right now the pair before him were both calm, pleased to be with each other and that they were both safe but neither of them had a clue of what was about to happen.  
  
Something told him that they might not be too happy about being together in just a few minutes time.  
  
But then again, from the behaviour the Senator and Jedi Master were displaying this new development might not be that much of a problem, it would seem that the boy may already have a cause for concern.  
  
All the same, he couldn't wait to burst their bubble.  
  
From the looks of things this was all going to be so easy.  
  
He took another quick sideways glance at young Skywalker.  
  
Who did the boy think he was kidding?  
  
As it was it looked as if he was having a hard time controlling all the feelings that were coursing through his body, how did he ever think he was going to be able to endure what was going to happen?  
  
It was inevitable that the boy's arrogance would be the factor that would ultimately bring him to the dark side, the jealousy from the event that was about to come would just be a helping hand.  
  
He couldn't wait another second, so with a steady hand he firmly pressed his finger down on the switch that would project his voice into the room he secretly watched.  
  
"Senator Amidala, Master Kenobi, I'm so sorry to interrupt but I'm afraid I couldn't wait any longer."  
  
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She'd loved the smile that had slipped onto his lips from her simple question, it was such a rare thing to see on his normally so very serious face, but when the voice that had just spoken had added its presence, the smile had gone as quickly as it had come.  
  
The uninvited interruption had made her jump slightly, breaking what had fast been becoming a lovely moment between them.  
  
She honestly didn't know whether to be annoyed or relieved, and that confusion had her worried, there was something about this room that had all her feelings mixed up.  
  
But right now she didn't have time to ponder all that, what she did have her attention on was whether the voice she'd just heard was really who she thought it was.  
  
A quick look back at Obi-Wan and the look of distaste on his face told her that her worst fears were coming true.  
  
"Oh do please forgive my rudeness, how arrogant of me to think that you would....."  
  
"We know its you Dooku."  
  
Obi-Wan's usual patient nature was no longer present for the moment as Count Dooku appeared to bring out the worst in him.  
  
Despite the lack of patience her friend did still carry that air of calm that seemed to follow him wherever he went, something she wished that she herself possessed at this moment but unfortunately that wasn't to be the case.  
  
While there was some security in already having met their opponent before, there was a part of her that was afraid of the fact that Dooku was persistent enough to come after her again.  
  
She didn't want to let it get to her.  
  
He wasn't the first person to attack her more than once and in a way that made her sick to the stomach she knew that he probably wouldn't be the last.  
  
"What do you want? And where is my Padawan?"  
  
"All in good time Master Kenobi, all in good time. There's no need to rush through things....."  
  
"Well I don't really see the point in dragging it all out, now answer my questions."  
  
Padme just stared at Obi-Wan for a few seconds.  
  
She'd never quite seen him like this before, so forceful, demanding even, it seemed so unlike him but at the same time completely natural.  
  
The man next to her really was a mystery to her even though she would consider him a dear friend.  
  
"Ok fair enough Master Kenobi, we'll do this your way. Firstly your Padawan is quite safe, in fact he's not too far away at all and is in some part the reason why the two of you are here. You see you are both here to complete the bargain that will secure the freedom of all three of you."  
  
"Bargain? What bargain? As far as I know I haven't agreed to anything."  
  
"Indeed you haven't and neither has the Senator, that would be because the decision has already been made for you, all you have to do is complete the proposal."  
  
She never made a move to talk, letting Obi-Wan do all the talking, her mind just trying to take in everything that was being said.  
  
Anakin was safe, he was with Dooku and had been taken prisoner but he was alive.  
  
She just wanted to let that information process for a while before she dealt with everything else, only vaguely having heard what else the two men were discussing.  
  
"What proposal and who has decided?"  
  
"The proposal was made to your Padawan and he has accepted on your behalf, there really isn't much else to discuss except to tell you what the agreement is. Before I do that though I want to make sure that you are both paying full attention and to remind you that you really have no choice but to do as I say, Padawan Skywalker has made the decision of his own free will and if you don't do what is asked then the offer of your freedom will be retracted and you will leave me no option but to execute you all. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"Crystal."  
  
She'd never heard that one word spoken with so much venom before and Obi- Wan was the last person she'd expect to talk like that.  
  
"Senator are you listening?"  
  
Her eyes wandered around the room, not knowing exactly where to address her answer to, she felt a bit strange seemingly talking to thin air, nevertheless she did speak for the first time.  
  
"Yes I'm listening."  
  
"Good then I shall now reveal all to you. In exchange for the freedom and safe passage back to Coruscant of all three of you, the pair of you are to spend just one night together in this room where you, Obi-Wan, will take the Senator in the very intimate way a husband takes his wife."  
  
"What?!"  
  
She may have kept quiet before but that was all about to change right now.  
  
Had he really just said that or had she suddenly slipped into some twisted nightmare?  
  
"You can't be serious? I refuse, I won't let you treat us like this, there's no way that that's going to happen."  
  
She wanted to laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all, had the Count completely lost his mind?  
  
What made him think that he could force them to do this?  
  
She was a married woman, there was no way that she could do such a thing and even if she wasn't there was still no way that she'd let herself be treated as some kind of sexual object for men to do as they pleased with.  
  
She was just about to inform the Count as much, her passion momentarily overriding her common sense, when it hit her that she couldn't say that she was married, her marriage was a secret that not even the close friend that sat beside her knew about and that was the way it had to stay.  
  
"I can assure you Senator that I am deadly serious and I did just remind you that you don't have a say in the matter, the decision has already been made and now you are just to follow orders."  
  
"Anakin has agreed to this? I don't believe you, where's Anakin? I want to talk to him."  
  
Obi-Wan got there before she could, voicing the very same thoughts she was thinking.  
  
"Fine, he's right here with me."  
  
"Anakin? Is it true?"  
  
"Hello Master. It's true, I agreed. It's the only way Master, otherwise he'll kill us all and Senator Amidala must get back to her people, there's no way we can allow her to die over something so trivial...."  
  
She interrupted her young husband before he could say any more.  
  
"Anakin this isn't trivial, besides I can make my own decisions on whether or not I would do something like this in exchange for my life. How can I ever look my people in the face knowing that I've allowed myself to be treated as nothing less than a common prostitute?"  
  
"Padme..... I mean Senator, it wouldn't be like that, it was not your choice to make, it was mine and I had to go with the logical answer. Besides it's not just your life you have to think about, Master Obi-Wan is a great leader in these Clone Wars, he is an instrumental part to our success so far, if he were to die like this then the whole Republic would be at a loss. As you can see this is something I've thought long and hard about, I did not make this decision lightly."  
  
She took in all that he said, hating the fact that he was right about her people needing her and hating that he knew her well enough to play on the fact that she would never want to be responsible for the death of someone else just to prove a point that she alone wanted to make.  
  
"Anakin, I know this may seem to be an odd time to say this but I'm very proud of you Padawan, I've never been prouder. I know this won't have been easy for you but you've managed to look past your feelings and make the right decision for everyone."  
  
She was surprised to hear Obi-Wan speak so openly to his apprentice in the presence of both she and Count Dooku.  
  
She knew that Anakin would be touched by his words, often feeling that Obi- Wan didn't notice his good deeds, only willing to tell him when he made mistakes.  
  
"Thank you Master."  
  
She could hear the emotion in her husband's voice and she wished she could be with him now to share in the moment.  
  
"Ok that's enough, now that the boy has cleared things with you I want to move on. As you can see I have provided everything you will need to make you comfortable. There is a fresher and toilet through the door in the corner, plenty of food, fresh clothes in the wardrobe and of course the bed. Master Kenobi your force collar will deactivate in the next few minutes and you will be able to remove it, as will your handcuffs but I will warn you that the room will be surrounded with a force field so there is no point in trying to escape. Ok I think that's all, we have to go now. Please enjoy your evening."  
  
Tbc...  
  
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Ok, wow I'm glad I managed to get through that! I don't know when the next chapter will be up; hopefully I'll get it up by Tuesday providing I get time to write. So keep your eye out for it. I would absolutely love lots of reviews because I love to read your comments. Thanks for reading, take care and have a good weekend, Sassy. 


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: Ok so I'm a day late, please don't hate me. I had a late shift at work and I didn't have the energy to write the rest of the chapter and get it posted all last night.  
  
Thanks go out to my reviewers, Saskia I don't think this chapter will be as exciting as you'd hoped but I promise it won't be too long till it gets really good. Darkess-knight thanks for the compliment on my writing and thanks for continuing to review quickly.  
  
I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.  
  
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Just like Dooku had said, within minutes of the end of the transmission his force collar had disarmed itself along with his handcuffs and he was finally free, well as free as he could be under the circumstances.  
  
Subconsciously he rubbed his neck where the irritating metal had been, leaving behind reddening skin that would become sore if he didn't stop what he was doing soon.  
  
Now that the collar was gone the force was slowly returning to him, a welcome comfort as he tried to sort through all the thoughts that were running through his already tired mind.  
  
He stood staring into the forever dancing flames of the fire, all colours merging into just a blur.  
  
He was far from happy about the recent turn of events, to be honest he was fuming but with the aid of the force he released the unwanted emotion from his body, it wouldn't do him any good to hang on to such un-Jedi like feelings.  
  
He couldn't quite believe that Dooku had actually suggested that he sleep with Padme, well he hadn't suggested it he'd damn well demanded it.  
  
And Anakin had agreed.  
  
That was really what he couldn't get his head around.  
  
It was plain to see for anyone who cared to look just how his Padawan felt about the young woman who was currently pacing up and down the room with barely concealed anger.  
  
Obi-Wan had never encouraged the emotions that Anakin had towards her but he hadn't out rightly forbidden them either.  
  
It was natural that he would find her attractive, a man would have to be blind not to, it was all part of growing up, as long as it didn't develop into an unhealthy attachment then there was no problem.  
  
He had a feeling that his apprentice wasn't far off that and he wasn't looking forward to having to lecture him about it again, despite what Anakin might think, he hated having to say it as much as the boy hated to hear it.  
  
For a moment he had to wonder if he was this much of a problem for Qui-Gon.  
  
He couldn't remember being this bad when it came to members of the opposite sex, he'd always behaved and conducted his relationships in the way his Jedi training had permitted, never getting too close and always remaining unattached.  
  
It was hard but it had to be done.  
  
He understood why he had to live by these rules but he feared that Anakin wouldn't ever and worst of all believed that he didn't have to.  
  
Of course attachment wasn't completely avoidable.  
  
It was inevitable that you would build up friendships with people and become somewhat attached to them but it was important that you didn't let them interfere with your duty.  
  
It was bad enough when something terrible happened to a friend; he dreaded to think how it would feel if something happened to someone you were in love with.  
  
He could imagine that it had been a hard decision for Anakin to make and he knew that he'd probably mainly agreed because of the risk to Padme's life.  
  
Still, he was surprised that Anakin was being mature enough to let such a thing happen.  
  
Maybe his apprentice was finally starting to grow up.  
  
After seemingly endless minutes of silence it appeared that she'd had enough of the frustration he could feel brewing inside her and she needed to vent it all.  
  
"How dare he? He can't make us do this, he can leave us in here as long as he likes, we're not going to be forced into doing this."  
  
Obi-Wan never said a word, sensing that she wasn't quite finished and needing really just for him to listen while she got everything off her chest.  
  
"How did he ever expect to be able to enforce a plan like this? I mean unless he restrained us both and physically pushed our bodies together himself there really is no way that he could make us do it. Ugh! It just makes my blood boil the way he thinks he can threaten us like this and expect us to go along with whatever he proposes."  
  
She continued to rant without any reaction from him as he enjoyed just watching her get herself all worked up at the injustice that she felt.  
  
"Obi-Wan you have to do something. There has to be something we can do, we can't let him get away with this, we just can't. Come on Obi-Wan, what do you think?"  
  
At another time he would have allowed the smile that wanted to reveal itself spread across his face at the amount of fight he saw in her eyes, she looked like she was ready to take Dooku on alone, but thought better of it in case she thought he was mocking her.  
  
"I think you need to calm down a little so that we can both discuss this properly."  
  
He knew that his words would only add fuel to her fire but they had to be said.  
  
"Calm down? Obi-Wan I don't want to calm down!"  
  
"Padme, there isn't anything we can do that will change what he wants, you what he's like. I don't like this as much as you do but if we're going to try and get out of it then we have to be sensible and keep our cool so that we can think of a way to trick him maybe."  
  
"Ok fine. Got any ideas?"  
  
"Not yet, I'm still trying to adjust to having the force back while working through the knowledge that Anakin is safe and that he'd actually agreed to all this. You know as well as I do that it can't have been easy for him."  
  
He made sure that she understood the meaning of his words as he held her gaze firmly, not breaking it until he was satisfied it had sunk in.  
  
A small blush coloured her cheeks, her eyes moving to stare at her feet.  
  
"I know. I hate that he was put in that position but that doesn't mean I have to go through with it."  
  
Her voice carried in it a small amount of guilt that he could sense she felt because she had yet to mention his Padawan's position in all of this.  
  
"We must remember why he agreed to this in the first place, he did it to save all our lives. That's what at stake here Padme, our lives. Is defying Dooku really worth your life? If it were only my own life at risk I know I would go against him but its not. I have to think about what would happen to the Republic if you were to die and how things would change if Anakin didn't complete his training. This is not a time to be selfish."  
  
Slowly he took a step towards her, gently taking one of her hands in his, the contact making he look up at him.  
  
"I know it's not right but its only sex really, just one night and we're friends, we should be able to work through it. It seems like such a small sacrifice when you think about it; if we do go ahead with it then we get to go back to fighting against Dooku and his followers. If we don't then he wins, we'll be out of the way and he would have won a small victory against the Republic. Do you want that to happen?"  
  
"No, no I don't."  
  
"I'm not saying we have to make a decision right now, just that we have to think about this carefully. And while we do that we may as well take advantage of the sudden luxuries we've been provided. Why don't you go take the first shower while I sit out here and mediate?"  
  
He let a light hearted tone slip into his voice in an attempt to lighten the mood.  
  
The smile on her face proving that it had worked.  
  
"Are you trying to imply that I smell?"  
  
"Well I didn't want to say anything but now that you mention it."  
  
"Obi-Wan!"  
  
Her voice was incredulant as she said his name, giving him a playful slap on his arm.  
  
He couldn't help but laugh as she pretended to be insulted and after a few seconds she joined him in his laughter.  
  
It seemed that they'd both needed it, the tension of their situation now being lifted.  
  
"Ok Master Jedi I will take a shower, not because I smell but because it actually sounds like a great idea, a good way to relax."  
  
"You keep telling yourself that."  
  
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He was quite relieved that Dooku had decided not to inform them that he would be watching them the whole time, partly because them knowing made him feel uncomfortable and partly because then he could see them be their true selves.  
  
He'd always wondered what Obi-Wan was like without him, while they shared a very close relationship he always felt that there was a part of his Master that he never got to see, something that could possibly be quite an important part of who he really was.  
  
Obi-Wan had always been one of those people that kept himself to himself, only divulging information he was happy for you to know.  
  
That had always been fine with Anakin but there had been times when he was younger that he'd been desperate to know more about Obi-Wan, just small things that wouldn't seem important to others but they were important to him.  
  
He remembered that in those early days together he'd ask Obi-Wan a lot of questions about his past, questions about his own training and what Qui-Gon was truly like, he'd caused Obi-Wan so much pain with those thoughtless questions.  
  
In a weird way he was indebted to Dooku right now, it was thanks to him that he was finally going to get a glimpse at the man his Master had been hiding for so long.  
  
He sat eying his Master closely now as he stood staring into the flames of the open fire, Anakin could almost see his brain ticking over as he thought over everything that had just happened.  
  
He was so calm.  
  
It amazed him how Obi-Wan could remain so calm in situations like this, never once panicking or if he did then he never allowed it to show.  
  
He just seemed to take everything in his stride.  
  
Anakin had expected him to hit the roof once he heard Dooku's proposal but then again he wasn't completely surprised by the quiet reaction he'd shown either.  
  
He couldn't help but be a little suspicious of his Master's lack of a reaction though, maybe he didn't argue with Dooku because deep down he wanted this to happen.  
  
Maybe Obi-Wan did want to sleep with his wife.  
  
He tried to shake off the thought, reminding himself that it was more within Obi-Wan's character to sit back and think things through before jumping into action too quickly.  
  
But still the thought nagged at the back of his mind.  
  
Padme was a completely different story.  
  
He watched her pace up and down the room, only coming to a halt when she couldn't stand to keep quiet anymore.  
  
Her passion for a good fight was shining through as she made her case to Obi-Wan.  
  
Exactly what she was saying began to escape him for a while as he let himself wander her body with his eyes.  
  
She was so stunningly beautiful when she was angry, he loved it when she felt an injustice was happening within the Senate, she'd go on and on, getting herself all worked up and turning him on in the process.  
  
He saw his Master try to cover-up a smirk and wondered if she was having the same effect on him.  
  
Anger began to rise inside him.  
  
Obi-Wan had no right to be thinking of her like that, she was his.  
  
Even if Obi-Wan didn't know they were married he sure as hell knew how Anakin felt about her and he shouldn't be looking at her like that.  
  
His anger only grew as her hand found itself wrapped within Obi-Wan's.  
  
Why was she letting him touch her so much?  
  
Surely friends didn't touch each other this often?  
  
He thought back to what she had said to Dooku, the big show she'd made of arguing with him.  
  
The Lady doth protest too much.  
  
Maybe she wanted to sleep with Obi-Wan; she just didn't want them to think she did.  
  
He bit the insides of his mouth, needing to strike out at something while the jealousy played with his imagination as he watched her giggle at something Obi-Wan said.  
  
Did they both want this?  
  
Were they happy that now they had an excuse to be together?  
  
He didn't know and it was driving him insane.  
  
Tbc.....  
  
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I hope this chapter satisfied everyone. I have a couple of days off now so hopefully I might have the next chapter up by Friday, maybe. I can't promise that I will but I'll aim for that. Please review, I love so many comments. Take Care, Sassy. 


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Ok please don't shoot me! I am so so so so so very sorry that I have taken so long to update, it wasn't intentional. Unfortunately life got in the way and I didn't have enough time to sit down and devote as much time to the chapter as I wanted. As a result this took several days to write, that was after I managed to sort out what POV's I was happy with. This is getting so complicated now.  
  
Anyway I won't do long winded thankyou's this time round as I want to get this up quickly but I do want to say thanks to all my fabulous reviewers Jedi Keladry, Sparkvallen, Darkess-Knight, Mickey and Adelaide. You guys are all totally fantastic, thanks for all the emails and encouraging words, I just hope you can all forgive me for taking so long with this chapter.  
  
Ok I'll shut up now so that you can read on.  
  
Please enjoy!  
  
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Meditation had come along a lot more easily than he thought it would after everything that had happened in such a small space of time; however he found his centre almost immediately, helping to send him down the path to relaxation.  
  
He'd managed to meditate for a short time without the force during the time he spent in his cell but nothing could describe the feelings that flowed through him now that he had his most treasured gift back.  
  
He'd waited a few minutes after Padme had walked through the door that led to the fresher unit, wanting to make sure that she was safe and sound before settling down in his cross legged position on the rug that lay at the end of the bed.  
  
Taking in long deep breaths he quickly put his mind through the few exercises that would clear it of all unnecessary thoughts, wanting to be in the right frame of mind so that he could search for a way that they could get out of this.  
  
They did have a few options open to them but he had no idea just how effective they'd be without knowing fully what Dooku was up to.  
  
Despite what he thought of the man, Obi-Wan knew that he was clever and experienced enough not to leave loop holes in his plan for them to manipulate.  
  
He had to think of something though, he couldn't just give up.  
  
The most simplistic option they had was to let Dooku's men find them both naked in bed when they came to get them the next morning but he had a feeling that Dooku wouldn't make it so easy for them.  
  
Obi-Wan was sure that he would have prepared for such an obvious trick.  
  
The Count was bound to have at least one camera or listening device hidden within the room, keeping a close eye on them at all times.  
  
If it were the case of only a listening device then there was still a chance that they could easily fool him, a realistic vocal display could be a bit embarrassing to perform but at the same time also very effective.  
  
Even the problem of a camera could be worked around, based on them giving a harmlessly innocent physical performance that was nonetheless visually pleasing and convincing.  
  
It all seemed too simple though.  
  
He couldn't think of what else they could do, it didn't really matter what they did, Dooku surely would have already thought of it first and the ways in which to counteract it.  
  
He wouldn't put it passed Dooku to do something as sick and disturbing as having Padme tested to see if she'd had intercourse, there really was no limit as to how far the man would got to make sure they complied.  
  
This was all such a mess.  
  
He had no idea what he was going to tell Padme.  
  
She was counting on him and he'd come up with nothing.  
  
She'd probably come out of the fresher expecting him to have some brilliant plan of how they could get out of this and he was going to let her down.  
  
He'd have failed her again.  
  
Some friend and protector he was.  
  
First he couldn't stop them from getting captured and now he can't get them out of it.  
  
He had to think positively.  
  
All hope wasn't totally lost; he still had time to think of something.  
  
He could put her off a bit longer by having a shower as soon as she came out.  
  
Just the idea of a shower made his body ache for one; he could just imagine how wonderful the warm water would feel running down his back, washing away all his worries.  
  
He quickly let go of the thought, he didn't have time to let his mind wander at the moment, right now he needed to clear his mind and feel the force, letting go of all the complications in his life.  
  
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Sighing loudly she leaned back against the tiled wall, content for the moment to simply let the heavenly water soak her head, cascading over her face continuing its path down the length of her body.  
  
After the week she'd had this was exactly what she needed, well maybe not exactly but it would do for now.  
  
It felt wonderful to finally be getting rid of all the aches and pains, along with the dirt, that had accumulated during the time spent in her cell.  
  
She'd forgotten how satisfying it could be to just simply wash her hair, normally something that she thought of as an annoying chore from time to time, she couldn't believe how comforting and relaxing it felt now.  
  
It seemed somewhat odd that something as simple and familiar as taking a shower could help her partially forget the issues that awaited her on the other side of the door.  
  
More than odd it seemed wrong and she did feel slightly guilty for only concentrating on herself, on her needs, during this time when she knew that Obi-Wan was probably out there worrying constantly about their situation.  
  
Was there ever a good time to be selfish?  
  
She spent nearly all of her life thinking of others, doing her duty, making sure that her needs and wants came last, just once she'd like to be able to only focus on herself and not feel guilty about it.  
  
She'd love to be able to take time out from her hectic work as a Senator and just be an ordinary woman for a few days, an ordinary woman with ordinary problems and ordinary responsibilities.  
  
She supposed she couldn't complain too much about her life as a Senator, seeing as it was totally her own choice to live this life, no one had forced her into it and deep down she loved the work she did, making a real difference in the lives of the people of Naboo.  
  
Still that didn't stop her from wanting time to be her own person, wanting to be with Anakin, to be wrapped in his arms enjoying the first year of their marriage.  
  
It wasn't only her responsibilities that kept them apart though, Anakin, along with many other Jedi, had been dispatched all over the galaxy to fight in these Clone Wars, so even if she did take time off it was unlikely that she would be able to spend time with him anyway.  
  
She doubted that they'd been able to spend as much as a month together over the whole first year of their marriage.  
  
She was well aware that other relationships wouldn't have a hope of surviving such little contact with each other but she liked to think that they were different, that they'd gone through so much and risked so much to be together that nothing could hurt them.  
  
But that was all of course before Dooku had forced this proposal on them.  
  
Her heart went out to her husband, imagining the turmoil he must have gone through trying to make his decision, a decision he shouldn't have had to make alone.  
  
She had allowed herself to be blinded by her love for Anakin but the effect could only last so long and as time passed she began to see his temper flare at the slightest things more often.  
  
Sometimes when she would mention having spent time with male Senators she would clearly see the flash of jealousy that would spark in his eyes.  
  
She'd always let behaviour like this go unquestioned though, perhaps she thought that if she didn't acknowledge it the it wasn't really happening, she knew better though.  
  
She couldn't let it continue for much longer, it wasn't good for him and it wasn't good for them.  
  
Padme just wished that what may happen between herself and Obi-Wan didn't make Anakin's behaviour any worse; it was incredibly naïve to think it wouldn't but still she hoped that maybe everything would stay the same.  
  
She didn't want to think about how drastic the changes could be between all their relationships if she and Obi-Wan went through with it, how nothing would be the same ever again.  
  
There was the possibility that nothing would change within her and Obi- Wan's friendship, of course there would be awkwardness at having seen and touched each other so intimately but ultimately, she felt, their friendship would survive this.  
  
After all, Obi-Wan had no idea about her secret marriage to his Padawan so he wouldn't think that this whole situation could cause any major problems.  
  
No, it would be the relationship that they each shared with Anakin that would suffer the most and there probably wasn't anything they could do to stop it.  
  
She dreaded to think what could be going through her young husband's mind at the moment.  
  
Would he think any less of her if she did go through with this?  
  
Would he feel betrayed?  
  
She didn't know how he could, he was the one who had made the decision for her, and he knew that she wouldn't do this under any other circumstances, didn't he?  
  
She let out a frustrated sigh, ducking her head under the full spray of the water, pushing it through her hair.  
  
She'd felt so relaxed only a few minutes ago but once again her over active mind had managed to put an end to that.  
  
There was no putting it off any longer, she'd have to go and face the music.  
  
Turning off the water she waited for the last few droplets to fall off her body before stepping out the fresher unit, opting to wrap herself in the robe that hung on the back of the door instead of the towels.  
  
She turned to look at herself in the mirror, looking deep into her own eyes.  
  
"Ok Padme, time to get back to reality."  
  
Tbc.....  
  
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Hope you all liked it. I know its not a major development but its one of those chapters that you need so that you get the pacing right. Things will heat up soon, I can't say how soon but soon. Hopefully I will have the next chapter ready for you in a few days. I'll aim to have it up by Sunday but it could be before that so keep an eye open for it. Again I'm sorry about the wait on this one and if any of you are still loving it then please do let me know. Take Care, Sassy. 


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone! I'm finally back!

I know, I know, this has been far too long coming, I can only give you all my sincerest apologies. You would not believe what a pain this chapter was to write, I must have rewritten it at least 5 times and this final version alone took over a month to get right.

Now for the many thank you's I have to dish out to all of you for reviewing and my goodness there were loads of you, which I love! Thank you so much to Jedi Keladry, Mickey, Darkness-Knight, Solo7mbp, Adelaide, Sparkvallen, Aiska, Smenzer, Crystal Kenobi and finally my most recent reviewer Obifan. Thank you to all of you for all the kind and encouraging words, I really do appreciate it.

Sorry to be so quick but I really want to get this up for all of you. If you forgive me for the insanely long wait then please read and review.

Please enjoy!

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She stood staring dumbfounded at the dark inanimate mahogany door through which Obi-Wan had just gone, wondering what she could have possibly done wrong, if indeed she had at all.

Could he have run out of the room any quicker?

She didn't think so.

She'd stood and watched him meditate for only a few moments before he was up on his feet mumbling something about needing to clear his head along with aching muscles and hot water.

Before she could have even hoped to understand what he'd said, the door was shut behind him.

What could have changed in the time she'd been in the fresher?

When she'd left him his mood had been cheery, even playful despite the serious tone of their conversation before hand and it seemed to her that maybe just maybe, everything would be alright but now things appeared to have changed for the worst.

Ugh! Men were so confusing, Jedi even more so and unfortunately for her, Obi-Wan was both.

When would she catch a break?

Could she ever hope to understand him?

11 years she'd known him, their friendship forged during the events on Naboo that had changed their lives so completely and yet she still felt like she was only at the tip of the iceberg.

It was hardly surprising though, it wasn't as if they each had lots of spare time with which to spend together.

It was only in the last year that they had been able to develop their friendship further during what little leave from battle he had and even so there was still a lot they didn't know about each other.

Obi-Wan was very careful with which stories he decided to tell her about his past, making sure to only tell her the few tales about his life with Qui-Gon that wouldn't cause his voice to falter, his eyes to water and his heart to fill with pain.

He was, however, quite forthcoming with stories about his time spent in the crèche and of Anakin's early training.

She didn't mind the lack of information she had of him though because she was just as picky with what she revealed about herself to him, staying away from anything that was less than light-hearted, she figured that their galaxy was already under so much darkness that she didn't need to add to it with any tales of woe.

Anyway for the moment she knew all she needed to know and the rest was for the future to divulge.

One thing she could say for sure about Obi-Wan was that he thought too much, she was exactly the same most of the time.

He spent so much time thinking of what he should be doing for others and what would be best for Anakin that he forgot to just live for himself and allow himself to feel.

She understood why he did it though, he didn't know how to be any different, it was as simple as that.

It wouldn't surprise her if it was his over thinking that had changed his mood so suddenly in the time she'd spent in the fresher.

Force sensitivity; was it a gift or a curse?

Those who didn't know a lot about the life of a Jedi might well think it was a fantastic gift, one that they themselves wished they had.

All they saw was the power and nothing of the price that the individuals paid in return.

Only those who knew as she did, the burdens and sacrifices that went along with the 'gift' of the force, might well think differently.

She thought of her love for a moment.

Anakin had had to give up so much to become a Jedi, his mother, his friends, everything that he'd ever known but at the same time he had gained so much from the order, an education, the chance to travel the universe, a father in Obi-Wan as well as the friendships of other Jedi and maybe the most important of all, the chance to make something of his life.

But then again, the opportunity for Anakin to become a Jedi had been presented to him at a later stage in life than the rest and it had been his choice to join them.

Her mind wandered back to Obi-Wan.

From what he had told her, she knew that he had never known his biological family at all, had no memory of his mother whatsoever, having been taken as a baby to join the Jedi order.

He'd spent all his life up to becoming a Padawan inside the Temple, his peers becoming his siblings and the crèche Masters becoming his parents, the Jedi were his family.

He only knew how to be the man that they had sculpted him into, it was too late to try and be something different now.

Just like her, he had no time to be selfish.

A small smile eased the serious look of concentration she'd had on her face, Anakin was nothing like that, he always seemed to find time to do something for herself, always managed to get what he wanted.

He'd got her.

She hadn't meant for that thought to feel so serious in her mind and she didn't like the strange emotions that it raised within herself, she moved quickly to make her mind continue with the previous chain of thought.

Maybe it was his age that made it easier for him to be impulsive and selfish, but then again she couldn't remember being like that at his age.

She chuckled to herself, she made it sound like she was in her late 30's struggling to remember what it was like to turn 20 when in fact it had only been five years ago.

Those five years had felt more like ten though.

She'd done a lot of growing up in both mind and body during such a short space of time where so many other things had changed.

But then so much had changed in this last year alone.

The galaxy of today was a far cry from the one that she had served such a short time ago.

To top it all off she was now someone's wife, something that hadn't been easy.

Not easy at all.

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Anakin only had eyes for his wife, watching intently for every emotion that flickered across her face as his Master fled the room.

He too had been shocked to see him so quickly up on his feet and through the still open door but he wasn't about to let his attention slip from her.

And it was just as well that he hadn't because otherwise he would have missed the look of hurt that surfaced onto her flawless face as she stared at the door through which his Master had disappeared.

That one look burned into his memory, never to be forgotten and forever to cause a bubble of doubt to rise in his mind about his wife's true feelings.

That part of his mind that clung to the light in his soul begged him not to read too deeply into it, that it was just a natural reaction to the event, it didn't mean anything.

That part was loudly drowned out by the part of his mind that harvested the darkness and wanted to feed his anger and jealousy, the part that loved it when he lost control.

He'd have to be a complete idiot to believe that there was absolutely nothing behind it.

It was all too easy to let his imagination get the better of him as his mind raced with all the possible meanings that one look from her could have meant.

Was she upset that she hadn't been able to continue her playful banter with his Master?

Was she disappointed that she hadn't been able to draw him into another one of their all too inappropriate hugs?

Did she wish that she could be in the fresher with him and now be regretting the fact that she hadn't invited him to join her in the fresher in the first place?

Anakin slowly closed his eyes as his hands worked to ease his aching temples of what he had now decided was officially the worst headache he'd ever had.

He didn't want to be doubting Padme and her commitment to him but he couldn't help it.

This whole ordeal had opened his eyes to her behaviour with other men, he could only imagine how many men besides his Master that she flirted with and that was the problem.

His mind began to flash through several scenarios of his wife welcoming what should be unwanted attention from suave and sophisticated Senators that were eager to have their way with her.

It was hard but nevertheless he tried to remind himself that realistically he had no reason to suspect that she acted like this at all or that she would ever be unfaithful to him, of course the latter part was set to change in the next few hours.

He couldn't really hold her responsible for that though, it had been his decision and his decision alone, and she'd made it quite clear that given the choice herself, she would have said no.

Anakin closed his eyes for a moment in frustration.

He was so tired of all this, of all the feelings he was trying to suppress, not only his anger but also his love for her in the hope that he could fool Dooku and to keep from revealing their secret.

It was all beginning to get a bit too much to handle, especially without the aide of the force.

Somehow he hoped that this would all turn out to be just a very bad dream and that he would wake up to find his love wrapped up in his arms.

Begrudgingly he opened his eyes to find that he was actually still living the nightmare and that his angel had moved to stand in front of the large wardrobe that stood in the corner of the room.

Its large doors were wide open and he curiously watched her carefully fingering the different materials of the many dresses that hung inside.

Women were such funny creatures when it came to clothes, he would never understand what was so hard about choosing something to wear, especially in this situation, it was only Obi-Wan that she'd be seeing, there was no need to dress up for him.

Even still it was several minutes before she appeared to choose her favourite, gently removing it and laying it down on the plush bed.

Still fingering the material she looked over at the door to the bathroom for a few moments, appearing to decide something in her head before slowly untying her robe and letting it fall to the floor.

And there she stood in all her glory.

Anakin's breath began to quicken as he let his eyes sweep appreciatively over her body, reminding himself of the trails of kisses he'd laid across her creamy skin, the few nights he'd spent stroking her curves, bringing her to the heights of passion.

He desperately wanted to touch her, his body finding it hard to not react to her the way it always did but it wasn't long before he realised that he wasn't the only one that could see her like this right now.

He felt like he hadn't had a break from the anger and jealousy that seemed to permanently be in control of him in an eternity.

Trying not to make it too obvious he slowly scanned the room he sat in, watching the wide eyes of the few men there too.

He wanted so badly to be out of this damn chair and blinding the men that now stared at her as if she was just a piece of meat for them to gawp at.

No one had the right to think or look at his Padme that way except for him and that was the way he wanted it to stay.

Continuing to look around the room his eyes met those of Dooku's and it seemed that the old man couldn't resist a smile at his expense.

"Well young Skywalker, suffice it to say your Master is in for a treat tonight. I don't think I've ever seen something more perfect in my entire life."

Anakin resisted the bait, biting his tongue to keep from making any response as he refocused his attention onto his angel.

He stared at her so hard that she turned into a haze, his mind becoming clouded with images that made him physically sick with anger.

It was in that moment he'd only just realised the reality of the situation.

In no time at all he was going to be witness to one of his worst nightmares and it wasn't going to be easy to stomach.

If he was finding it difficult to keep his emotions under control with a few strangers just looking at her naked body then how was he going to cope with watching Obi-Wan do things to her that only he himself had the right to do?

What if she enjoyed it?

What if his Master turned out to be a better lover than he was?

Surely he wouldn't be, would he?

Force his headache felt like it had gone up yet another notch.

Finally feeling the need to blink the image of a now fully clothed Padme was awaiting him.

Her slender body now covered in the purest shade of white he had ever seen, purer than that of her own wedding dress.

He watched her as she inspected her reflection in the mirror, standing sideways, her hands sliding over a non-existent stomach, he knew exactly what question she was asking herself and he didn't know what conclusion she'd come to but his answer would always be no.

From the view she provided him he could see the dress she'd picked straight on and besides the fact that at this moment she looked far more beautiful than he'd like, he couldn't be happier with her choice of dress.

The material did indeed hug her every curve but with the long length and high neckline she looked respectably elegant and thank the force she was completely covered up.

It appeared that the skin of her bare arms was the only flesh on show for Dooku and his men for now, he didn't want to think about what they might see later but for now he was happy.

Happy until she turned to close the wooden doors of the wardrobe and at the same time revealing the back or should he say the non-existent back of her dress.

While from the front the dress would be fit for a queen to wear at any formal engagement, the back was a completely different story.

It was wide open, showing off the expanse of her wonderfully smooth back, the shadowy curve of her spine leading hungry eyes down to the small of her back and very nearly beyond before the previously elusive fabric made a re-appearance at the tip of her behind.

Anakin couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.

What could have possibly been going through her mind when she made the decision that it would be a good idea to wear that dress?

He truly couldn't fathom any reason for her to choose that dress, what was she trying to do?

Padme was by no means a stupid woman, she knew exactly what a man would be thinking when he saw her in that, leaving no questions as to whether she was wearing anything underneath it as it was quite clear that she wasn't.

He simply couldn't think straight at the moment with all the questions swirling around in his head that couldn't be answered because he needed the answers to come from her and because of that he couldn't ever hope to resolve the situation in the hope of calming the anger that lived within him.

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Silently she stood staring at her own reflection in the full length mirror on the back of the wardrobe door, running her hands over the smooth material while she intently studied every aspect of her appearance finding both her flaws and her beauty.

The dress she'd chosen fit her perfectly, in a way a little too perfectly and she didn't even want to know what lengths Dooku had gone through to find out her sizing.

Even still it was gorgeous and yes it was maybe a little too provocative from behind than her current situation required but it was only Obi-Wan, he probably wouldn't even notice, he'd never noticed her outfits before so why would that change now?

Giving herself one last look over in the mirror she closed the wardrobe doors.

She idly looked around the spacious room subconsciously playing with her fingers, what could she do now?

The rumble from inside her stomach reminded her of the enormous spread of food that lay on the long table just a few feet away and to the fact that she hadn't eaten properly for days now.

Slowly but at the same time eagerly she approached the table, her eyes constantly looking from end to end, trying to take in all that was before her.

Her mouth began to water, her tongue slipping out to lick her lips as she stared at a large chocolate cake not unlike the ones that her mother would make for her birthdays, she really couldn't stop herself from sliding a finger through the icing and bringing it up to her mouth.

She moaned quietly as she savoured the satisfying taste of the heavenly dessert, closing her eyes so that she could fully appreciate the feelings it provoked.

"Listen Padme I really think that we should sit down and..........."

She almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden re-emergence of her friend causing her to gasp loudly, bringing her hand up to hold her chest while stepping away from the table.

Attempting to calm the beat of her heart she turned to face him, wondering what it was he'd said and why he'd stopped.

She was presented with a bit more Obi-Wan than she was normally used to seeing, as he was clad in only a towel tied around his waist and another that merely hung around his neck.

She hardly knew where to look and she certainly didn't want him to notice her staring.

"Oh Obi-Wan you scared me bursting in like that."

Awkwardly she sort out his eyes only to find them spread wide while a shocked expression had settled onto his face.

She looked down at her dress, trying to find what it was he was looking at.

She couldn't see anything.

"What is it? Did I get chocolate down it? I knew I shouldn't have worn white but I just loved the design."

She still didn't have his attention.

"Hello? Obi-Wan? Anyone there?"

That seemed to do the trick as he shook himself out of it.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

He truly was adorable when he was flustered, something that she hadn't witnessed often.

"I asked if I had got chocolate down my dress."

"Oh no, nothing at all."

"Then why were you staring so hard?"

She watched him closely, noticing he had to swallow hard before he answered and also the somewhat intense look in his eyes as he gazed over at her.

"It's just......well to tell you the truth it's......you look absolutely stunning."

She was a little taken back by his compliment, not used to him saying such things about her appearance.

She almost wished she hadn't asked as she felt a heated blush tint her pale cheeks a rosy pink and she hated it because now he would know that she was embarrassed, among other things that she didn't want to address right now.

For once she couldn't quite look him in the eye, suddenly becoming shy, not knowing what to say but desperately wanting to break the fast growing expanse of silence between them.

So plucking up enough courage she lifted her head back up to look at him.

"Oh well thank you, who would have thought that Count Dooku would have such good taste in women's clothes?"

That earned her a small smile and a grunt of a laugh from him.

"Certainly not me."

This time they shared a smile and that's all they did as once again they were surrounded by an uncomfortable silence.

She'd never had this problem with Obi-Wan before, they were almost always involved in some kind of discussion and even if they did end up in silence it was always in an easy calming fashion, never like this.

It was ridiculous, all this because of one compliment from one friend to another, ok so maybe it did make a difference that it was from a man to woman and that aforementioned man was at this time standing in front of her half naked but all the same it shouldn't be a problem for them.

There had to be something she could say to put a stop to this, come on Padme this is Obi-Wan, it's always easy to talk to Obi-Wan.

It turned out that her mouth didn't need to break the silence as her body decided to add to her embarrassment by having her stomach rumble loudly in want of filling.

She didn't miss the rise of his eyebrows at the sound along with the much wider smile that crept onto his face.

If she'd hated the slight rosy pink her cheeks had gone just moments before then she was really going to hate the bright shade of red they were now.

"Hmmm well it seems someone's hungry."

There was no mistaking the amusement she heard in his voice, in return all she could offer was a sheepish smile of her own as she tried in vain to cool down the heat in her cheeks.

"You've got me there Obi-Wan. You caught me as I was having a sneaky taste of the chocolate cake while I was eyeing up what else might be nice to eat. Come over here and take a look for yourself, you must be starving as well."

"Well I wouldn't say starving, I guess a little something to eat wouldn't hurt but I'm not so sure we should be eating food that Dooku has provided us, who knows what he might have done to it."

"Oh come on Obi-Wan, if he was going to poison us he would have done it days ago."

"I guess......"

Rolling her eyes she walked over to him, grabbing him by the arm she led him over to the table.

"Now just pick something you like."

She wasted no time herself, heading straight back for another sample of the icing on the chocolate cake, which was possibly even more delicious this time.

Obi-Wan still just stood staring at the masses of food before them; she wished he would just choose something.

"Look Obi-Wan grapes, here have a grape,"

Reaching across the table she broke off a few from the stem for both of them, forcing one into his mouth as he tried to voice a protest.

"Hey! There was no need for that."

"Yes there was, we both know that if I hadn't then we'd be here a year before you finally made a decision whether to eat or not, there's no point in denying it."

She didn't even wait for a response from him, her body overcome with an overwhelming need to quench the deep hunger inside her.

Greedily her eyes feasted on everything on offer, helping her to make a mental list of everything she wanted to eat, so caught up was she that she didn't even hear Obi-Wan trying to talk to her.

"You know I'm not so sure about this, there's something not quite right about......"

Without realising it she cut right into what he was saying.

"Oysters! Can you believe it? I love Oysters!"

Quite unladylike she proceeded to devour 3 or4 one after the other hardly giving herself time to fully appreciate the taste.

The slight after taste of salt made her thirsty and she scanned the table for something to drink, thanking the heavens above when she cast her eyes upon the bottle of red wine at the end of the table.

Now with her hunger satisfied for the time being she was able to calmingly pour herself a glass of the dark burgundy liquid.

Unaware of the permanent look of shock on Obi-Wan's face she slowly walked a few steps away from the edge of the table, stopping just s few feet behind him.

She couldn't believe how calm and relaxed she felt, the change in her moods being so abrupt.

Holding the glass against her lips she took in a deep breath and finally laid her eyes on her friend again.

With his bare back to her she was able to see for the first time the result of the stand that he'd taken against the Count's men in order to protect her.

Patches of both healing and fresh bruises were spread across his back as well as scars from what could only have been caused by a whip and also burns that appeared to come from an electro probe.

Her eyes barely believed what they were seeing; he'd gone through all that just for her.

Tears sprung to her eyes, how could he have endured such torture and then go on as if nothing had happened?

She felt sick looking at the mess she had been the cause of, she didn't feel worthy of his friendship, he'd already gone through so much to help her in the past and now this.

How could she ever hope to repay him?

The only option she had at this point in time was to follow through with Dooku's proposal, there was no way that she could allow this man that had saved her life on so many occasions to die now when she could so easily prevent it.

This time she would save his life.

Tbc......

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Well there it is, I hope everyone liked it. The last part may have been a little rushed but I wanted to have Padme be a bit of a scatter brain for a few minutes because I gather that's how you'd be if you suddenly had a load of food in front of you after days of say bread and water. I had planned on it being slightly longer but this ending to the chapter snuck up on me. Ok so if any of you guys have forgiven me for the awfully long wait on this and are kind enough to write a review I would dearly love it. Believe me I have no intention of leaving it this long again. I hope to hear from you all, thanks for reading, Sassy.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note: Hi Everyone I'm back. Not so long a wait for you this time but still it took slightly longer than I had wanted but hey life got in the way again, relatives being ill, work and then I get ill. Anyway thank you so much to everyone who reviewed I love you guys so much, I was so pleased with the response. I don't have much time so I won't list you all this once, you know who you all are so once again thanks so much. I just wanted to clear a few things up. I will be getting rid of Dooku's men in this chapter; I never did plan on them being there because that really is just gross. Also in my own head I always thought as though Obi-Wan couldn't sense anyone at all because of the force field around the room, Dooku not wanting him to know anything other than what he wanted him to.

Ok well this is a little shorter than I had originally planned, so now what was going to be just one chapter is now either going to be 2 or 3 in total.

Thanks for being so patience with me. Please let me know what you think.

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He'd burst back into their room wasting no time in rolling off his prepared speech to her but he didn't get very far, having been rendered speechless upon setting eyes on her.

He'd spent all that time in the fresher coming to terms with the fact that there was no way that they could get out of Dooku's proposal then sorting through how he was going to explain this to her several times and now it had all vanished from his mind solely because she stood before him looking like some divine embodiment of the force in its purest form, to put it plainly she simply took his breath away.

He felt so stupid, he'd seen her all dressed up so many times before and he'd never had such a strong reaction to her, after all she always looked beautiful but there was just something about this dress that caught his eye.

He could vaguely hear her talking to him but he was far too distracted to take in any of it and it wasn't until her hand waved through his line of vision that the spell he was under was broken.

Somehow he managed to perform the miracle of hiding his embarrassment from her while attempting to answer her questions.

"Then why were you staring so hard?"

And there it was a perfectly simple question that he didn't want to answer.

What could he say?

Should he tell her the truth, that the man inside him was completely blown away by her beauty at this moment or should he hide behind the Jedi that he was and come up with some kind of half truth that was hopefully believable?

Looking at her now with her hair a mass of damp waves and her eyes boring into his he didn't want to let the opportunity pass him by, so building up his courage he stumbled over his words at first but eventually managed to get the half sentence out.

By the small look of shock on her face it was obvious that she had been expecting anything but that to come out of his mouth.

If he were her then he'd be shocked too, having never really complimented her in such a way before.

Of course he would sometimes tell her that she looked nice but that was as far as it went.

She had plenty of people around her that could tell her how wonderful she looked and appearances had never really been important to him anyway, being a Jedi you learnt to look past such things, so as a result he'd never felt the need to make such frivolous remakes.

This time it had been different though, but now part of him had wished that he'd kept the comment to himself as an uncomfortable silence built up between them.

He watched his friend closely, her cheeks tickled pink from his compliment, and she was permanently looking down, no doubt overcome with shyness.

This was one of the reasons why he never paid people compliments in that fashion; it just about always ended up like this, awkward and unnerving.

Just when he thought that the silence would never end she spoke up, her comment bringing a genuine smile to his face and for the merest moment the heavy tension seemed to have lifted from the air between them.

Indeed who would have thought that Dooku would have such good taste in dresses and modest ones at that?

Obi-Wan would have expected outfits on more of the skimpy side, anything to entice them into the end that suited him, as it was though she appeared to be completely covered up.

It was only then that he realised how under dressed he was, no wonder he could feel so much uneasiness coming from her, she'd never seen him with so little on before.

He only felt slightly embarrassed about the situation but he could see why she would feel a little uncomfortable, he had to diffuse the tension the best way he knew how, with humour.

He had just been about to speak when the extraordinary loud sound of her stomach rumbling filled the room.

Somehow he managed to hold back the laughter that threatened to spill out of him from the look of shear terror that found its way onto her face.

She looked straight over at him and he could tell that she was praying to the gods that there was a chance that he may not have heard it but unfortunately for her that was not to be the case.

There was no way that he could let her get away with that without a slight teasing from him, so cocking an eyebrow at her he took delight in the brighter shade of red her cheeks turned before breaking the silence between them.

"Hmmm well it seems someone's hungry."

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Determined eyes watched them unreservedly, intent on catching every flicker of emotion that spread across their faces no matter how brief its appearance.

The only sound that could be heard throughout the control room was the angry breathing of the young Jedi, the room now empty except for the presence of himself and the Count, Dooku having dismissed his men upon his reappearance.

The timing of the old man had been slightly annoying as he'd decided to pick the exact same moment to return as his Master had to re-enter the bedroom below them.

The distraction of the Count ordering his men out of the room almost causing Anakin to miss the reaction his wife and Master had upon setting eyes on each other again.

Anakin was sure that the pair would come to wish that he had indeed missed the looks that had been embedded on their faces and if they didn't then he was sure that he would make them wish it himself.

For a split second he saw his beloved wife sweep her eyes up and down the body of his Master.

His overactive mind stretched that split second into long minutes where in his mind he imagined for himself the thoughts that would be running through hers.

She admired the physic of Obi-Wan's body, imaging for herself what it would be like to feel those muscles under her fingertips.

He'd given up trying to keep his emotions in check, any attempt at keeping his anger at bay abandoned the second his Master had told his wife with all the sincerity in the universe that she was stunning.

Coming from any other person it may not have been such a big deal in his mind but he knew that Obi-Wan didn't care to flatter people, finding it all very unnecessary, so the fact that he'd said anything at all was cause enough for concern in his mind.

Her reaction to his words had only made matters worse and his current state of mind was the result of her obvious receptiveness to Obi-Wan's compliment.

Anakin had told her on every occasion they had been together how beautiful she was and while she had always given him a wide smile and appeared to love that he had said the words, she had never given him the reaction she had to his Master.

She looked to him like a little girl overcome with shyness in the presence of her first crush then again maybe Obi-Wan had been her first crush.

Anakin had almost forgotten how young Padme had been when she and Obi-Wan had met, maybe she had developed a crush on the then Padawan Kenobi that had helped free her planet and now all those old feelings could have come rushing back to her at the thought of having to be intimate with her old crush.

Everything she did seemed to confirm the theory he had made up for himself, the choice of her dress, the way she flirted with his Master pushing food into his mouth before devouring her own feast and then the way she longingly stared at him from across the room while he was unaware of her attention.

Nothing convinced him more though than when she crept up behind Obi-Wan and slowly caressed his battered back, so much love and admiration in her eyes.

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He knew he'd had a bad feeling about the food that sat on the table before him but he hadn't been able to put his finger on the reason why, that was until Padme's outburst about the Oysters.

Once she had pointed them out that was it, everything fell into place for him, all the food before him carried with them the reputation of being aphrodisiacs.

Force was there anything Dooku wouldn't try to get them to go through with this?

Obi-Wan had just been about to ponder the thought further when he felt the feather light touch down the length of his back, causing him to hiss in his next breath as the soft touch skimmed over a particularly sensitive gash.

"Oh Obi-Wan."

Her voice was so thick with emotion he could have cut it with a knife.

Turning his head slightly to look over his shoulder, he watched her stare at his bruised skin, her eyes racing around in their sockets taking in every detail possible.

Her fingertips hovered barely above his skin, so close were they that they tickled the tiny hairs beneath them.

Watery eyes met his, there was no disguising the horror within them, and he wished she hadn't had to see what they had done to him. He didn't want her to feel guilty which she no doubt was.

So much passed between them as they continued to gaze at each other, her gratitude, love and respect for him shining through her dark eyes, clear for him to see.

"I can't believe they did this to you, you….. you could have been killed Obi-Wan, all because of me….."

"Padme its ok, it's nothing really and it wasn't your fault, don't think that."

"How can I not? If you hadn't come to rescue me then you wouldn't have been dragged into all this along with being tortured and then we wouldn't be in the mess that we're in now. Well that's it, I've had enough. I won't let you get hurt because of me again."

Obi-Wan searched her chocolate eyes to try and work out what it was that she was trying to say.

He hadn't been expecting the short sweet kiss she placed on his shoulder to say the least.

His eyes went wide with surprise while his heart gave a little flutter that was an even great surprise to him.

"Padme what…..what are you doing?"

Her small hands slipped over his shoulders as he turned to face her.

"Exactly what we were brought here to do. Obi-Wan we both know that there's no way of getting out of it, we have to do what Dooku proposed and I don't want to argue about it with you, I will not stand by and let you die when something so simple could be done to prevent it, I just won't."

He knew she was right, they did have no choice but to do what Dooku wanted but he'd been hoping that somewhere along the way a solution would present itself but that wasn't to be the case.

He had to ask the force what he'd done to deserve such a good friend in the young woman that stood before him.

She truly was nothing short of incredible, willing to go through something that would only please one sick old man that wanted nothing than to disrespect her down to her very core, all just to spare his life.

He was so used to protecting other people, saving others' lives without much regard for his own safety and never once expecting someone to do the same for him in return.

He wanted desperately to tell her how grateful he was that she would do this for him but he couldn't find the words, nothing he could say would come close to what he was feeling.

"Padme…..I….."

"Obi-Wan, just kiss me."

Looking down at her with amazement he could see how serious she was about the request and what it would be the start of that he didn't dare question her.

Gently he cupped her cheeks with both his hands, nervous as if he were a Padawan again as their lips were brought together for their first kiss.

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Well there it is. I hope you all liked it. I didn't plan on leaving it there but it seemed like a really good cliffhangery spot to keep you all interested. I thought this would have been an easy chapter to write but it turned out to be a lot harder. Let me know if I did it justice. Take Care and hopefully I'll only be a couple of weeks before I post again, maybe less than that, Lots of love, Sassy.


	10. Chapter 10

Hey back again! Wow you guys, thankyou so much for all the fantastic responses to the last chapter, so much more than I had been expecting.

I'm afraid that this is going to be another quick note from me as its late where I am and I want to get this posted quickly, so no personal messages again but you all know that I love my faithful reviewers.

Well here's the chapter you've all been waiting for.

This is all in Padme's POV, please enjoy.

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Warm lips left hers after long moments of sweet caresses leaving her confused about feelings she hadn't been expecting and would rather not be feeling as she didn't need to be adding more complications to her life right now.

Her eyes remained closed as she tried to compose herself and gain back the control of her emotions while at the same time wanting to prolong having to face Obi-Wan.

"Padme is something wrong?"

No such luck there.

With great reluctance she slowly opened her eyes to find a worried expression embedded on the face of her dear friend.

"No nothings wrong. Its just…… well…… well that was….."

"Different."

He took the word right out of her mouth, she had to thank the heavens he felt the same way she did.

"Well yeah. To be honest it's just not something I thought I'd do with you and it felt a bit strange."

She wished she could put it more eloquently to him but with his lips and body still in such close contact to hers she was finding it hard to concentrate.

Her eyes drifted off, searching the room for anything to look at other than him right now but when he tenderly reached out to push a hair out of her face her eyes instantly connected with his again.

"We don't have to go through with it Padme, if you want to stop now then that's fine, we'll think of something else."

She gave him a small smile, grateful down to the bottom of her heart that he was willing to let her back out of all this, now her determination was set, nothing could make her change her mind.

Gazing into the crystal clear blue eyes of the revered Jedi knight in front of her she let one of her hands slide down the length of his arm and then slip into the safety of his larger hand.

"No Obi-Wan I don't want to stop."

Raising up slightly on tiptoes she lightly pressed her lips against his, wanting him to know that she really was sure about this.

Nervous seconds passed before she felt his lips respond to the gentle movements of her own causing her stomach to fill with the butterflies she had been trying to keep at bay.

Her arms tangled around his body while she shared long drawn out kisses with him that helped prevent her from thinking about what the consequences of what she was doing would be to her marriage.

She didn't want to think about the fact that what she was doing and about to do was breaking the vow that she had made to Anakin and with his Master of all people.

She knew that if she stopped kissing Obi-Wan then her mind would start heading in that direction and that would only make the process a lot harder to deal with.

Padme found herself not having to worry about thinking of anything outside their room when Obi-Wan's tongue slid across her bottom lip

From then on she was lost in the sensation of her tongue dancing with his along with the shivers that ran through the length of her body as his fingertips stroked her bare back.

She couldn't suppress the moan of pleasure any longer and she didn't want to either.

It may be wrong but nevertheless she couldn't help enjoying this development.

Finally his mouth left hers and she was happy to discover that he was just as breathless as she was, both of them gasping in as much oxygen as possible.

Without a word spoken she took a hold of his hand, placing a single kiss in the palm before turning her back on him and silently leading him over to the luxurious bed that they were to make their own.

She allowed herself a moment to remind herself that she was doing this for Anakin as well as Obi-Wan, otherwise she wouldn't be doing this at all, under no other circumstances would this have ever happened, she had to believe that.

Turning back to face her friend she caressed his cheek and gently laid a soft kiss on his swollen lips.

When she pulled away he wore the cutest smile, his expression quickly turning serious as she slowly sat down on the edge of the bed.

She could almost see his brain ticking over in his head, here she was offering herself on a plate for him and still the man thought too much, she had to allow herself a little giggle inside at that.

She could see the worry lines starting to appear on his temple, she had to clear his mind of all he was thinking otherwise he'd only make her end up doubting herself.

She reached up and grabbed both ends of the towel that hung around his neck and pulled him down to her, cutting him off by covering his mouth with hers when her spoke her name aloud.

Passion rising with every kiss it was only when Obi-Wan fell on to the mattress that they became momentarily separated, flat on his back she wasted no time crawling up his body to be reunited with his touch.

Her long hair acting like a curtain hiding both their faces as she leaned down to capture his lips again, straddling his waist she had him pinned beneath her, the friction of the sudden movement causing the towel that hid his modesty to come undone.

The new development going entirely unnoticed until her wandering hands grazed skin where the flannel material should have been.

Both their bodies stilled at the realisation, their eyes locking on to each other instantly.

Padme had to admit to herself that she wasn't entirely sure what she should do, should she try and ignore the fact that the Jedi under her was now completely naked and carry on like nothing had happened or should she confront it and end up in an awkward conversation with him about it?

She was tired of talking things through before taking any action, for once she wanted to act without thinking, just letting the moment take her wherever it wanted to go.

And on that note she decided to choose her third option.

Teasingly her hand drifted back down his body, her eyes never leaving his the whole time, wanting to catch every emotion that may flicker across his familiar features.

Her hand hovered over its destination waiting only a second before softly wrapping around his stiff manhood.

Surprise registered on his handsome face, his deep blue eyes rolling into the back of his head as a quiet grunt escaped his throat.

Feeling empowered she stroked him slowly, wanting him to let go of the reality of who they were and for this evening only allow them to forget that anything else existed outside their room, to pretend that they were just like any other man and woman.

It appeared to be working as she saw his face contorting with pleasure, his breathing becoming erratic as she continued, planting quick kisses along his stubbly jaw and at the corner of his mouth.

But then to her own surprise the balance of power shifted in one swift movement whereby he stole her breath in a hard kiss at the same time as grabbing both her hands and holding them firmly behind her back while bringing them into an upright position.

Padme muttered a small whimper as his teeth nibbled lightly on her bottom lip, mixing a tiny bit of pain with her pleasure.

It would seem she'd awakened the beast.

Chills ran through her as the front of her dress slid down, falling away from her skin, exposing her whole upper body to Obi-Wan.

Confusion filled her as to how it could have happened as both his hands were holding onto hers, then it struck her that he'd been cheeky enough to use the force to undress her.

At the same time as he let go of her hands her mouth was released from his, his own calloused hands coming to rest on her hips his thumbs rubbing small circles on the heated flesh.

His hungry mouth explored her neck, finding all the right spots; she happily tilted her head back to give him better access.

Somehow her mind managed to concentrate on the comment that she wanted to say to him, her voice breathless as the words left her mouth.

"That was a….. dirty trick Obi-Wan Kenobi. Using the force to get me naked."

She received no immediate response only the feeling of a trail of butterfly kisses being made up to her ear where a warm tongue played with her earlobe before his uncharacteristically deep voice made its way into her consciousness.

"I do apologise my dear, what can I do to make it up to you?"

"Mmmmm do it again."

"As you wish."

The sudden sensation of weightlessness filled her as she found herself being slowly and easily lifted into the air, a shocked gasp leaving her at the same time.

It was nothing and then everything she thought it would be, the most amazing feeling she'd ever felt in her entire life, totally overwhelming and completely indescribable, never would she find the words to do justice to what she was feeling.

She looked down at Obi-Wan, his face gave away none of the intense concentration she knew his mind would be in, and instead he was the perfect picture of calmness.

She was in wonder of his ability, of the fact that he had the power within him to do these amazing things, a part of him that she forgot about all too often, only having seen the raw power he possessed on very few occasions.

Anakin was always moving objects around, always quick to show her the tricks he held up his sleeve, but never this, she had never been lifted like this by Anakin and for a moment she felt guilty about experiencing something new and exiting with Obi-Wan and not with her husband, a feeling that she would push to the back of her mind for now but would no doubt come back to haunt her in whatever her future may be.

She had to do the same with her thoughts of Anakin, his presence didn't belong here in this room with them, especially not when they were about to perform an act that would break the promise she had made to be his and his alone on their wedding day.

Focusing on Obi-Wan once again she saw the cheeky smile that crept onto his face as she felt the silky smooth material of her dress slip away from the rest of her body and then watched the garment float away from her to then be carefully placed on the floor next to their bed.

And there she was floating above him completely exposed, feeling very self-conscious as she watched him silently study her body.

She could feel the familiar heat heading for her cheeks not only because he was seeing her like this but because she couldn't resist taking her first good look at what he had been hiding under all those heavy Jedi robes all these years.

She had always considered Obi-Wan handsome but never thought much of it as it wasn't a major factor of who he was, his witty humour, selflessness and kind nature always the first things that came to mind whenever she thought of him.

It was those things about him that had made her forget that he would also have the body of a warrior and a very deadly one at that.

Beneath the many bruises she could still clearly see his well muscled chest and stomach, shaped perfectly after years of combat.

She couldn't help but make a mental comparison between him and her husband.

One thing was for sure, Anakin had a lot of growing up to do, and it was plain to see from Obi-Wan's body that Anakin still had the physic of a boy whereas there was no denying the mature male form of Obi-Wan.

She wanted the comparison to end there but couldn't stop herself when her dark eyes took a sneaky peak at his obviously aroused member.

She locked the information away in the back of her mind quickly, not wanting her thoughts to linger there.

Her gaze wandered back up to his, the connection made and held as she felt herself being lowered back down to his waiting body.

Butterflies built up in her stomach again in anticipation of their naked bodies being brought together with no boundaries between them, her breathing becoming laboured.

Her eyes never left his as their bare skin made contact, finding herself once again sitting straddling his lap, this time though the evidence of his desire lying against her stomach.

There was no time for awkwardness anymore; they were passed that, only a moment went by before her lips were caught in a toe-curling kiss with his, only coming to an end when it became absolutely necessary to take another breath of air.

Instantly his soft lips moved on to rediscovering the sweet spots under her chin, her body responding by arching her back.

Fingertips made a long, slow stroke down the length of her body, dipping down between the valley of her breasts continuing down past he stomach, teasing her senses causing goose bumps to rise on her skin.

Shocked whimpers came from her when his kisses followed the path of his fingers, coming into contact with the supple flesh of her breast.

She was consumed with the pleasure he was providing, her hands clinging to his shoulders, in fear that if she let go of him then she might faint.

Her pants and moans grew louder when her nipple was pulled into the warm cavern of his mouth, one of his hands now gently caressing her other breast.

Out of pure instinct her hips began to slowly roll into his while he continued to lavish her sensitive breasts with so much attention, her body eager to try and relieve some of the tension that was building up inside her.

She couldn't believe that it was actually Obi-Wan making her feel this way but one thing was for sure, she never wanted him to stop.

Sliding into his hair her hands affectionately played with the short strands effectively holding his head in place as she tried to push more of her flesh into his wonderfully talented mouth.

She couldn't think straight, so many conflicting emotions fighting for dominance in her tired mind, part of her wanted him to stay exactly where he was happy to have him carry on teasing her but the other part of her thought she might die if he didn't give her the release she so desperately needed.

Taking charge of what she wanted she lead one of her hands down between their bodies confidently taking hold of his throbbing erection the result being the separation of him from her chest, a loud moan coming from deep in his throat.

They were both so very breathless, their chests heaving as their lungs tried to gather as much oxygen as possible.

Leaning her forehead against his she fondly rubbed her nose against his, her voice laced with desire when she was finally able to regain the capability of speech.

"Obi-Wan….. I….. need you."

She made sure to purposely stroke his hard member so that he would catch the meaning of her words.

She'd half expected him to question her about her decision and was pleasantly surprised when he used his superior strength to roll them over.

For the first time throughout their explorations she found herself flat on her back.

The return of her nervousness was unwelcome as she waited for the inevitable but then in a very private moment the Jedi that she had met over ten years ago who had become one of her closest friends tenderly caressed her cheek, touching her mind with his, sending her waves of calm and love, removing any uncertainty she may have been feeling.

She made sure that he could see the gratitude in her eyes before she lifted her head up so that her rosy lips would melt into his in what felt like the most natural kiss she had ever had in her life.

It was in the middle of that wonderful kiss that she felt him finally bring their bodies together as one.

He set a painstakingly slow pace that she wasn't used to; opening her up to a whole new experience and set of feelings that threatened to overwhelm her completely.

His thrusts were deliberate, easily applying the perfect amount of pressure to all the hidden wonders inside her, obviously intent in drawing out her own pleasure.

For a long time they carried on like this, she'd felt her orgasm nearing on several occasions only for him to still his movement and concentrate on another area to prevent her climax.

She couldn't help but feel slightly frustrated by his behaviour, she'd never had to intentionally wait this long for her release, but then she'd never felt more erotically charged either.

She kissed him unreservedly, taking her time playing with his tongue, her hands travelling what was now his very familiar body.

She felt like Obi-Wan was letting her see into his very soul as he made love to her so thoroughly and in return she did the same for him.

Gradually she felt his thrusts quicken just slightly, the tension in her stomach building again to the point where she was used to him turning her gratification into sweet torment but this time he didn't stop.

She tried to keep kissing him but she couldn't contain the powerful feelings any longer, her moans and cries loud in expressing her encouragement for him to continue.

Her hips happily rose up off the mattress to meet his with every intention of somehow taking him further into her exhausted body.

Her breathing turned frantic as she felt the knots inside her start to unravel in what was the beginning of her climax.

He had finally granted her wish to go over the edge.

Her orgasm extremely powerful because of the length of time the tension had been pent up inside her.

She wasn't aware of the loud volume of her voice as she called out for Obi-Wan over and over in the heights of her passion, only able to focus on the feelings that coursed through her as he finally let himself join her with his own climax.

For several minutes he continued to move inside her as she rode out her orgasm.

She laid there an emotional wreck, so confused at the things she had felt throughout the whole experience, her mind was a total mess.

She wanted to cry when she felt him leave her body, missing him already.

His blue eyes locked onto hers, so emotionally charged that she had to close her eyes against the threat of tears, the guilt of what she had done and what she had allowed herself to feel becoming too much for her to handle.

As of this very second everything had changed.

Tbc…..

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There it is, the first POV of this major part of the story. I'm not sure yet if I will do a chapter solely devoted to each of the POV's of each character or mix 2 of them together. Anyway this isn't the only version of this event that you'll see, the next chapter will still handle the main event. I really hope that you all liked it and that I did it justice, let me know what you all think. Hopefully the muse will continue to be kind and I'll have another chapter for you in a couple of weeks or less. Take Care for now, lots of love, Sassy.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's note: Hello everyone I'm back again and yes this is a little overdue. I can only blame Obi-Wan for not making it easier for me to get inside his head. I found it so hard to go through this scene trying to tell it through his eyes and after having started this so many times I have now managed to ¾ of it today, what can I say, he was finally playing ball.

Thank you for all being so patient, I hope you all had a good holiday season and that the new year is treating you well. Thanks to everyone for reviewing again I have left it so late at night to finally finish this that I really don't have time to thank you all individually the best thanks I can give is this next chapter. I hope you all like it, let me know what you think.

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His eyes remained locked with hers as he felt her nervous touch travel down the length of his arm and then her delicately soft hand slip into his own.

"No Obi-Wan I don't want to stop."

He stood as still as a statue, only able to watch as she raised herself up to ever so gently press her lips against his.

For mere seconds he stood unresponsive while his mind tried to overcome the awkward feelings of kissing a friend, and not just any friend but one that had always been completely out of bounds because of the bordering on obsessive feelings Anakin held towards her.

In a desperate attempt to push any thoughts of his apprentice out of his mind he quickly took it upon himself to lose himself in the feel of her kiss, letting her keep the control of their situation for now.

For a long time he was content to stand there exhausting all the breath that he had kissing her.

Her lips so innocently teased his to the point where he couldn't hold back any longer, only satisfied once he'd deepened their kisses, thoroughly exploring her mouth with his tongue.

He let his arms wrap around her just as hers had done to him, surprised when his fingertips came into contact with the bare skin of her back where he had been expecting the material of her dress to continue.

He felt her body tremble as his fingers traced the length of her spine, the combination of excitement at discovering just how exposed she was and the deliciously low groan she made from his touch bringing about the beginning of his arousal.

It almost felt wrong that he should so easily find himself enjoying what was happening between them, that somehow this whole act shouldn't be about enjoyment, it was about duty, about his duty to keep Anakin safe and most importantly his duty to make sure that Padme returned to Coruscant alive so that she may continue with her work for the good of the republic.

He was a Jedi and should be above the emotional trappings that this so very primal act could bring about but rational thought told him that it was unrealistic of him to expect this of himself when he was only human and it was only natural that he should enjoy the situation, after all it'd be extremely difficult for him to go through the process without enjoying himself just a little.

Quieting his mind for a moment he finally pulled away from her intoxicating mouth, his lungs crying out for much needed air, as were hers.

Tenderly she took a hold of his hand again, this time pulling it up towards lips that were swollen from his kisses.

Silently he watched as she placed a single tiny kiss into the palm of his hand before turning her back on him, revealing to his eyes what his fingertips had already discovered, slowly leading him over to what was to become their bed.

Staring at the inanimate object as they came to stand in front of it he couldn't shake the bubble of nervousness that settled in the pit of his stomach, distracted only when deep brown eyes stared back at him as Padme turned to face him once again.

Lovingly her hand caressed his cheek before he received a quick innocent kiss that steadied his nerves for a second, a smile just for her spreading on to his face only to disappear a second later as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

After the delicious distraction of their heady kisses the dark reality of what they were about to do hit him like a ton of bricks.

Doubt filled his head with dozens of questions that he couldn't hope to find the answers to while his mind and body were at odds with each other over their conflicting emotions.

Should he really be going through with this?

He turned to the force for the answer, both surprised and confused with the answer that he received.

All confusion left him however when Padme pulled him down towards her, not even realising that her name fell off his lips a split second before her mouth captured his once again.

Force if she didn't know how to make him forget who he was with those lips of hers.

The more she played with his mouth the faster his heart beat against the confines of his ribcage, he couldn't hold himself up any longer falling unceremoniously onto the bed next to her, disappointed when their mouths were ripped apart.

In no time at all the disappointment faded as she crawled up his body looking like some kind of wild cat with its sights set on its prey and right now he was her prey.

The long soft mahogany waves of her hair encompassed him, intoxicating his senses with its sweet smell while his hands lost themselves in its depths.

His skin sizzled with the heat of her touch as she let her fingers wander his body, slipping lower and lower, exploring every inch available to her and then some that shouldn't have been, that was when he felt her caress the skin below his waist where his towel should have been.

Time froze along with their bodies, his mind reeling with the realisation that he was now lying completely naked beneath her.

He found himself locked in a panicked gaze with her with no idea what to do next, force why did everything have to be so complicated?

Not since his first time had he ever felt so awkward about something so natural, but then again this wasn't just any woman he was about to have sex with, this was Padme, she was special to him, maybe a little too special.

That was the problem, there were far too many emotions flying around in this room right now, some in particular that he shouldn't be feeling for her, they could only serve to cause even more trouble that he didn't want or need at this point in time.

He needed to get rid of all these feelings that were only serving to confuse him about the purpose of what they were doing here and why.

He was just beginning to enter a calmer state of mind when he saw something in her eyes change.

He held his breath as her hand drifted down his body again, this time going much further.

He forced his eyes to stay focused on hers as panic began to rise again within him at the knowledge of where her curious hand was floating above on his body.

He tried to convince himself that this was just a hallucination or that she was just playing with him, that she couldn't possibly be about to touch him there but then she did the unthinkable and encircled him with her smooth hand.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head from the shock before they rolled shut as the pleasure registered in his brain a deep grunt the only verbal response he could manage this very second.

Her precious hand stroked up and down him, making it hard for him to keep a grip on reality.

He gave into the sensations she was causing, allowing himself to live in the moment and enjoy what she was doing to him.

His excitement increased with every touch from her but somehow he managed to regain control of his mind before her sweet caresses drove him to the point of no return.

He had to take back the power and against the wishes of a certain part of his body, make her stop.

Obi-Wan was happy to let her continue for a few more moments while he waited for her tiny kisses to make their way back to the corner of his mouth and that was when he pounced.

His kiss was aggressive as were his actions as he pinned her arms behind her while he brought them into an upright position.

Using his demanding kisses as a distraction he manipulated the force around them to help him reveal more of her to him, removing the front of her dress with ease and letting it pool in the middle of their bodies.

Pulling away he left her mouth with every intention of staking a claim for the rest of her body, starting with that oh so elegant neckline he'd admired from afar for so many years.

His hands held her hips securely in place while he took his time to uncover every ultra sensitive spot along her throat.

He only just managed to refrain from laughing when she confronted him about his earlier misuse of the force, calling it a 'dirty trick'.

There certainly wasn't any getting anything passed her.

He didn't let her wish for conversation rush him in his task though, taking his time making his way up to her ear taking the opportunity to nibble on her earlobe for a second before he answered her.

He was a little surprised at the tone of his voice and the forwardness of his words but so strong was his desire for her that he really didn't care.

Her permission given he gathered the force around her and without any warning slowly used it to lift her up in the air above him.

The shocked gasp that left her matched the look on her face as he concentrated on steadying her position, her eyes looking all around her in wonderment.

He was happy to be able to do this for her, to give her the gift of the feeling of the force surrounding her if only for a few minutes.

He allowed himself to rejoice in the feeling of the force actively flowing through him for a few tiny seconds after having been without it for most of his captivity.

Satisfied that she now felt safe and comfortable in her new surroundings he looked up at her with a smile as he went about relieving her of her dress completely, somehow still having the strength of mind to both hold her in place and gently place her clothing on the floor.

And there she was, for his eyes only.

For the second time this evening he was awe struck by her beauty.

He could feel her shyness return to her as he took in her angelic appearance but there was no way he was going to apologise for staring because right now there wasn't a sorry bone in his body.

From this point onwards he wasn't going to let himself feel guilty for anything that he may do in the very near future, not even the thought of what this may do to the relationship he shared with the young man who by all accounts was his son.

This incredible woman as about to give him her body in order to save his life and nothing in the entire galaxy was going to distract him from giving all of him to her so completely that she felt like the most loved woman in the whole universe, he owed her at least that much.

He patiently watched her study his body, her eyes taking a lingering look at his extremely hard member, turning him on even more.

Their wandering eyes finally made contact again, the connection going unbroken as he tortured himself by lowering her ever so slowly back down to him, his breathing quickening as he anxiously waited for their bodies to come together with no barriers.

He gently let go of his hold on her as she came to sit so very intimately on his lap, only able to wait a second before indulging himself in another kiss with her.

He could have carried that kiss on forever but unfortunately the need for air was hindering his ability to do so.

He released her mouth in need for oxygen and the went on to exploring the now familiar skin of her neck, her body arching to give him better access as he rediscovered a particularly sensitive spot under her chin.

Taking advantage of the new flesh on offer his and slid down the centre of her body before his hungry mouth followed the same path.

Her skin felt like it was on fire as his lips whispered kisses over it, her startled whimpers music to his ears as he lovingly kissed her breast.

He never felt the pain that her tight grip on his shoulders made so involved was he in ravishing her chest, teasing the supple skin with his hardworking mouth and hand.

Her moans filled with want and desire encouraged him to carry on with his ministrations as he tried not to let his attention be diverted from what he was doing when her hips softly grinded into his.

A shiver ran down his spine as her hands twisted and turned his short hair into tiny knots.

He loved the reaction she was having to his touch and he would have been happy to stay exactly where he was for hours but it appeared that Padme have other ideas in mind.

Breathlessly he ripped himself away from her heaving chest when she took hold of his painfully hard erection, a groan from deep in his throat forced out of him.

He'd lost all capability for coherent thought as she continued to hold him, only aware of the feelings that were coursing through him.

Eyes closed he felt her forehead lean against his and then as she so very dearly rubbed her nose against his, an act so simple but would forever live in his heart.

And that was when everything so fundamental in his life changed.

"Obi-Wan….. I…… need you."

All thought of debating what had just happened to him was abandoned when she let the meaning of her words be expressed through the one stroke of the tip of his throbbing manhood.

Using his superior strength he rolled her onto her back pausing before he continued to drink in the sight of her beneath him.

She looked so innocent despite the things she had done to him that would suggest otherwise.

Silently he searched her face for any doubts before sending her waves of calm and love that would hopefully put her at ease.

Her dark eyes such a contrast to his own shone back at him her thanks.

Then lips that he'd claimed over and over pressed into his in a kiss that felt like this was all they were ever meant to do.

He didn't want to waste another second so while they continued to kiss he entered her for the first time.

The feeling of their bodies coming together as one almost overwhelming him entirely.

He wanted her to have all of him, to take everything he had to give, nothing would be held back.

In an attempt to make this blissful feeling last forever he deliberately set a slow pace with his thrusts, torturing himself at the same time but he knew it'd be worth it in the end.

He'd taken his time making love to her, exhausting both their bodies.

For what felt like an eternity he was able to hold off both their climaxes, coming close to letting go a couple of times when he could feel her walls tighten around him but then by some miracle able to back off just in time.

But now as she kissed him so thoroughly he knew it was time give in to what they both wanted and needed.

With what energy he had left he gradually quickened the pace of his thrusts to build the tension up inside her again.

Her felt her surprise when this time he didn't draw back from her but instead only persisted in pushing her over the edge.

Her vocal encouragement getting louder and louder with every thrust he made.

His breath was short and erratic as his own pleasure threatened to release him of the tension cooped up inside him.

After a long wait he let her find the release she had so desperately needed, the power of her orgasm emanating in the force around him.

He was almost deafened by her loud screaming of his name as she let herself lose all self control, and that was it, he couldn't hold on any longer.

With his next thrust he sent himself over the edge, his climax blinding him with its power, echoing Padme's orgasm.

Long minutes later with his body completely spent he regrettably removed himself from the warmth of her body, feeling like he'd forever lost part of himself to her on this night.

He could see the unshed tears in her eyes before they were shut off to him and he felt completely helpless.

That was when he admitted to himself that he had fallen in love with her.

Tbc……

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Hope you enjoyed it, my goodness that was a hard one to write. I'm thinking about combining Anakin and Dooku's POV in the next chapter, I'll see how crazy Anakin gets first and go from there. Ok well PLEASE review and let me know if you're still loving it. Thanks again Take Care, Sassy.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Hi everyone! After much torment I'm back again. I won't trail off on another apology, you guys must be getting sick of them by now. All I'll say is that after taking so long to get all the ideas I had for Anakin out of my head so that I could concentrate on Obi-Wan my brain decides to do the reverse. Anyway the chapter is finally here.

Many thanks to everyone that reviewed and everyone that gave me a kick up the butt with their many reviews and emails, I did listen.

Ok well here's Anakin and a little bit of Dooku for you, hope you enjoy.

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He sat bound to his chair while a torrid of emotions flowed through him, wracking havoc with his mind and threatening to rid him of his sanity altogether.

There was no chance of a respite from the darkness that seemed to consume more and more of him with each agonising minute that passed, no all forgiving force ready to help him channel the pain out of his soul what with the force collar that still clung to his neck.

He was hopeless.

Without Obi-Wan's calming influence and his forever glowing presence in the force there was nothing to remind Anakin of the good that still resided in him that so desperately wanted to reveal itself to its troubled young charge.

Now all he was left with was the jealousy and anger that the sight of his Master holding his wife levitated above him as he slowly removed her clothes invoked in him.

If his hands had been left free from their constraints then he would have gladly picked his own eyes out a long time ago rather than continue to watch them as they were now.

Part of his soul pleaded with him to just end his suffering by simply closing his eyes but the other part sadistically enjoyed the torturous peep show before him and it was that part that won the silent battle within him.

Nothing would divert his attention from the scene playing out before him; as far as he was concerned no one else existed in the universe other than himself, his Master and his wife.

His clouded mind drawing up several interpretations of the actions of the unknowing couple below him.

In that first kiss they were both unsure, their bodies tense, they looked like childhood friends that had been reunited after a gap of some years taking that first tentative step into discovering that their feelings ran deeper than those of mere friendship.

It wasn't far from his vision of how he saw him and Padme coming together after such a long separation on her retreat on Naboo just over a year ago.

But then as he'd looked again and seen them approaching the bed his imagination had leaped forward to tell another part of their story.

So purely white was he dress that now they looked like a newly married couple on their wedding night, nervous as they prepared to make love for the first time.

Anger had flared within him momentarily withdrawing him from his illusion.

He wondered whether that had been Padme's thinking when she'd chosen that dress from among all the others.

Deep down had she wanted to look like a perfectly pure virginal bride for Obi-Wan?

Was she ashamed that she hadn't saved herself for her perfect Jedi Knight?

His hands had shaken with fury as they'd held onto the arms of his chair, was she really that disgusted that she'd given herself to the apprentice first rather than the Master?

How could she taint their love like that?

Did he mean anything to her?

Only a sudden flash of happy memories they'd shared together had stopped him from succumbing entirely to his anger and instead forcing him to reacquaint himself with the only view on offer.

And there he sat incredibly still with such dread filling him at what was about to happen that he could barely breathe.

In distressingly slow motion he watched as their naked bodies were brought together for the first time, the need to vomit almost overwhelming him.

He tried to remind himself the reasons why this had to happen, what it was buying all three of them and the fact that this had been his decision although what choice had he really had?

He couldn't very well let Dooku get the best of him, not this time.

Obviously their earlier awkwardness had long disappeared as Obi-Wan wasted no time exploring her body and unbeknownst to him revisiting trails that Anakin had already made before him.

It seemed that his so-called faithful Master had no problem in claiming Padme as his own despite the feelings he knew Anakin held for her.

True, Obi-Wan was only doing what Anakin had given him permission to do but in all honestly he'd expected a little more restraint on his Master's part rather than the eagerness to enjoy the forbidden fruits of her body that he was seeing.

His wife's moans of desire filtered into his consciousness and the arrogance inside him caused him to smile knowingly as he assumed that she must be picturing him doing those delightful things to her instead of Obi-Wan.

Surely if Obi-Wan ever did manage to make her orgasm she'd have to be careful not to cry out for her husband, after all that would make for a tricky explanation.

He allowed a short chuckle to escape him at the thought but his good mood soon disappeared the second he saw her so privately take a hold of Obi-Wan.

He watched in total shock as his angel rested her forehead against his Master's, affectionately rubbing her nose into his before begging him to enter her.

Frozen in place he could feel an intense panic rising from deep inside him as he waited with baited breath for one of his worst nightmares to escape the dark recesses of his mind and be released into this twisted reality.

He wanted to scream, shout and beg for them to stop, to burst into the room and pull his Master off his wife but it was no use, there was no chance of breaking free from his restraints and all the words he longed to say got stuck in his throat, there was nothing he could do except continue his silent vigil.

Anakin choked back vomit as he watched the only woman he'd ever love reach up for another kiss from the only father he'd ever known while at the same time finally sealing the deal that he had made with Dooku.

Everything in his life changed in that heartbreaking moment.

No longer was he the only man to lose himself in the wonder of her body, to bury himself so far inside her that he forgot where he ended and she began.

She'd forever be tarnished by this experience and he didn't think he'd ever be able to look upon her the same again.

He let a world of darkness creep into his quietly suffering heart as he studied every minor movement the pair made together.

Becoming more and more agitated with every drawn out thrust that Obi-Wan made, in his mind there was no need for his Master to drag any of this out.

Allowing his anger to gradually gain more control over him once again his mind became warped with the many theories regarding the unexpected behaviour between the two that had occupied him earlier.

It looked to him like this wasn't the first time that they had done this, on the contrary all the awkwardness of their first kiss had vanished and now they appeared to be nothing less than long term lovers.

He couldn't help but muse on if his suspicions were right then how long had it all been going on, how long had they been making a fool of him behind his back?

He knew for sure that Obi-Wan didn't get much free time, what with his status as a General on the battlefields of the Clone Wars and besides Obi-Wan took his duty far too seriously to sneak off for secret liaisons.

But then on second thought he couldn't account for Obi-Wan's whereabouts all the time, now that he was getting closer to becoming a full fledged Knight he was away from his secretive Master for short periods of time, so he couldn't be certain about what went on during their time apart.

And then there were the sudden changes in Padme's day plan to consider.

Many times he had planned a secret rendezvous with her only for her to cancel at the last minute, an urgent meeting the only explanation he received, never any details concerning what it was about or who it was with.

Maybe she had been running off to see her beloved Obi-Wan?

But then this was all assuming that this had only been going on in the last year, not the possibility that it could have been happening during the ten years since they'd first met.

His mind carried on taking a downward path as he questioned every instance in the past when Obi-Wan had had to rush off without any explanation, the jealousy he felt at the thought of him slyly meeting up with Padme beginning to get the better of him.

His anger grew with every picture his over active imagination painted of the two of them together, the trust that cemented his relationships with each of them slowly being eroded away.

If they had been deceiving him all this time then he'd make them pay, more importantly he'd make Obi-Wan pay.

As if it wasn't enough that Obi-Wan already always got the admiration and respect from everyone they met while he the 'Chosen One' had to put up with being ignored and treated like a child, now he'd taken the love and devotion of the one person that Anakin thought would always put him first.

There was no way he'd let his unworthy Master get away with this, he wouldn't confront him straight away, no he'd bide his time and wait until the opportune moment to unleash his attack.

The high pitched gasp of pleasure distracted him from his unsavoury thoughts and brought his attention back to the here and now.

For what felt like forever he watched them draw out each of their own pleasurable ends.

His gaze settled onto the contorted face of his wife, her expression changing from one of pleasure to frustration and back again.

Several times he could see that she was close to her release but it never came, her lover teasing her without mercy.

Her torture didn't seem to diminish her hunger for the Jedi Master's kisses though; indeed it looked like it only increased her need for them.

His eyes stung from the need to blink but Anakin was loath to give in, the sharp pain a welcomed change from the dull aching he felt in his heart as he so compulsively studied them.

Their pace quickened, their moans growing louder and becoming more consistent.

For the first time in his life he wished that he were both deaf and blind but unfortunately for him that wasn't the case and he was forced to listen to his love cry out uncontrollably in the height of her passion.

Anger rose again inside him as his Master's name was incredibly loudly ripped from her throat over and over again during her climax, how naive he'd been earlier to think that she'd call out for him.

Obi-Wan quietly joined her and before Anakin could properly label all the emotions coursing through him this nightmare was over but not without leaving the image of them joined together in their ecstasy forever burned into his memory.

Now all he could do was helplessly sit and wait for Dooku's next move.

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He stood rooted to the spot in complete shock in the aftermath of the plan he and Sidious had concocted months ago becoming a reality.

He'd quietly watched everything unfold from the shadows, making sure to give Skywalker all the space he needed in the hopes that he would forget that his presence was there and drop his shields.

No such luck.

While Dooku had sensed the darkness that was surrounding the Padawan he hadn't been able to get inside his head and listen to his thoughts.

He couldn't quite believe how well this had turned out for him and his Master, it was only a matter of time now until Skywalker was theirs and the Republic would shatter to pieces.

He stared down at the bed below him and then at the couple that lay within it and it was all thanks to them and their selflessness.

They really did deserve a round of applause because the performance they'd put on truly was amazing.

There was no way that Anakin would trust them to be alone together now, not after that.

The seed of doubt had been placed in his mind and it would only continue to grow once they were set free.

There was no hope left for them, everything they'd fought so hard to protect would crumble and he couldn't wait to be there to see the look on their faces when it happened.

He only hoped he didn't have to wait too long.

Tbc…………….

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Well? What do you all think? I hope it turned out alright because it really was a bitch to write. Dooku's part is short because I figured that his POV of the situation wasn't needed only his thoughts on the aftermath. Now I can finally move on and move the story forward. I can't say for sure when the next chapter will be up because there are a lot of different emotions to sort through and it could take a while to sort out what order they should go in. Anyway let me know what you think because it helps me decide what direction to go in. Hope you liked it, take care, Sassy.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I want to start off by saying a huge THANKYOU to everyone that has reviewed so far, you guys are incredible! I don't know if any of you would know this already but I would just like to point out that this has now become my highest reviewed story. It has now surpassed the amount that 'Come away with me' had totalled up and I just wanted to acknowledge that. I never thought that I would ever be able to repeat the success and popularity of that story but by some miracle I have. I have all you people to thank for that and for your continued love for this story. I also want to say another huge THANKYOU to the reviewers that have been with me from the beginning, you know who you are.

Ok so anyway I guess I should get on with letting you read the next chapter.

Please enjoy!

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Her body trembled from the heavy breaths she took in an attempt to try and remain in control of the confusing emotions that flowed through her.

She couldn't make sense of anything right now.

She didn't know what to think of what had just happened between her and Obi-Wan, only that it wasn't what she'd been expecting.

She didn't know what to do with all the feelings that it had brought to the surface, all she wanted to do was curl up into a tiny ball and hope that everything sorted itself out on its own but then that really would be wishing for a miracle.

A miracle that would surely never come.

Of course it wouldn't, she just wasn't that lucky, she never had been.

There had always been consequences to her actions and she'd always faced them head on, always working hard and accepting responsibility for the decisions she made in her life, why would that change now?

Why would she think that she'd be given an easy ride this time?

Maybe, she thought, the powers that be owed her one just once, just this one time.

Just this once couldn't someone take care of everything for her and make sure that she didn't have to worry about duty and the consequences?

That's all she wanted.

She was just so tired of being the good girl, the strong and steady one; she wanted to be allowed this one opportunity to be weak and insecure, to be vulnerable.

All she wanted was for someone to take hold of her and tell her that everything was going to be alright.

Was that really too much to ask?

Then as if he'd read her mind the forever giving Jedi next to her pulled her into his arms and gently placed a kiss on her damp forehead before making his simple statement.

"Shhhh…..don't worry, it'll be ok Padme."

That was all it took to break her resolve.

His sincere act of compassion had finally made her let go and in the next few seconds that followed the tears fell.

Uncontrollable sobs attacked her body as she continued to tightly embrace him, his very real presence a source of comfort for her.

It would seem that his kindness had triggered something within her and now she no longer knew exactly what she was crying about, it was a combination of everything, her body using the recent events as an excuse to off load a lot of the stress that she had been keeping built up inside her over the years.

The stress of the responsibility of being queen during a time of war on top of all the other pressures that had been placed on her shoulders as well at the time.

Then there were the continued attacks on her life and the subsequent loss of a couple of her dear handmaidens, whom she was never allowed the proper amount of time to grieve for, there always being more pressing matters that required her attention.

To top it all off there was her secret marriage to Anakin and the strain that that had put her under in the last year and now this.

The guilt she now felt at having betrayed her husband threatening to almost consume her.

It wasn't so much that she'd had sex with another man, after all that had been out of her hands, Anakin had made that decision, not her, no it was that she was now annoyed at herself for having made the choices that had put her in this position.

She was angry at herself for succumbing to the feelings of lust and the love for a friend then mistaking them for a true love that would last her a lifetime because now she knew the truth and as punishment for her rash actions she was realising it all too late.

For a moment she wished she'd listened to that nagging voice in the back of her head and never married Anakin Skywalker.

Then in the same second that she'd wished it she also scolded herself for even thinking it, she owed Anakin more than to betray him like that but in her heart she knew it was the truth.

It was that betrayal that threatened to eat away at her from the inside out.

She quickly shook off the gut-wrenching feelings trying to convince herself that it was just the extreme conditions she was under that had forced her down that unlikely line of thinking, that her emotions were all mixed up and she did indeed deeply love her husband.

Obi-Wan's feather light touch trickled down the length of her back, sending a shiver down her spine in its wake while at the same time her heart sent whispers of her true feelings to her head forcing her to remember what she had felt while she had indeed just made love to this man.

She begged her body not to respond this way to his soothing caresses, she didn't want to have to face these new found feelings, they would only serve to torture her mind with 'what might have beens' and 'should have beens', she'd already made up her mind, she loved her husband.

In gentle tones his calming voice drifted into her ears.

"Are you cold?"

No she wasn't, his warmth surrounded her completely but maybe it was best that they seek the privacy that the covers would provide, after all they had no idea what Dooku was up to and when they might burst in to get them.

Without a word spoken she nodded her head in answer to his question and then helped him to move them to the head of the bed before getting lost in the many layers of silk sheets and blankets.

Once settled she found herself lying facing her dear friend, his eyes undemanding as they silently stared into her own.

She could feel a lump starting to rise in her throat again as she held his gaze, struggling to understand what had changed between them and the intense emotions that she now felt for him.

Why?

Why did she have to discover these feelings now?

Why not when she had been free to do something about them, to tell him about them?

Why did they have to surface at all?

Her breathing was becoming forced as the tears welled up in her eyes again, she desperately didn't want to cry but the injustice of it all was too much for her to handle.

An unwelcome sob left her body and brought with it the flood of tears she'd tried to hold back.

Against what she knew would be best she reached out for him, for the comfort that being encompassed in his strong arms would bring.

She hated herself for needing him like this; it wasn't fair to him or to Anakin.

It wouldn't have been such a problem if she knew that all she was doing was seeking comfort from a friend but she could feel her heart pushing for her to admit the truth to herself, the truth of why she wanted to be wrapped in Obi-Wan's arms.

She couldn't do that though, she wouldn't do that.

She dare not acknowledge the truth because of her fear of what the consequences would be if she did.

Shame crept into her soul at using her friend this way especially when she couldn't tell him exactly what was making her cry.

She felt like she was tainting the tenderness he was showing her with her deceit over the last year.

It was tearing her up inside that she couldn't tell him why she was so upset, that she couldn't tell him that she had secretly married his Padawan a year ago and that now she was struggling with the fact that she had broken her marriage vows to him.

What broke her heart the most though was that this whole time he hadn't asked her once what was wrong, not once had he decided that he needed to know what was troubling her, instead he'd just let her get it out of her system.

Now she felt even more ashamed

What had she done to deserve a friend in him?

He really was too good to be true.

The forever giving Obi-Wan Kenobi.

She berated herself for her earlier selfishness at wanting someone else to sort all her problems out for her when the man who held on to her without judgement had been through and given up so much more than she had and continued to do so by putting the need to soothe her own pain above his.

She had no idea what was going through his mind or what he was feeling about what had happened between them, what's worse was it hadn't even entered her mind to ask him either.

How could she have been so selfish?

She couldn't believe she'd been ignorant enough to place all the same assumptions that people piled onto her, onto Obi-Wan.

She should know better than to do that but then she couldn't help that Obi-Wan had always painted a picture of himself as having an unflappable strength in her mind.

All the same though she was annoyed at herself for automatically thinking that he would be strong for her, after all he was only human, the same as her.

It was that that pushed her to get a grip on her emotions and that gave her the strength she needed to make the tears stop.

After a few minutes she sheepishly lifted her head off of his chest and forced herself to meet his striking gaze straight on.

For endless moments she just aimlessly searched his beautiful eyes, not knowing what she wanted to say to him or if she wanted to say anything to him at all but before she could think of anything he beat her to it.

"Padme I'm sorry."

What? Where had that come from?

"What? Why?"

What did he have to be sorry about?

"I'm sorry that I couldn't find another way out of this whole situation that could have prevented you from feeling the pain and regret of what we just did. I should have tried harder to find a solution."

His gaze drifted off to the side, an obvious sign that he felt responsible for her sudden outbursts of emotion.

Her heart sank at the realisation that he thought that he had been the cause of her pain when nothing could have been further from the truth.

Another pang of guilt went through her at having made him think that he had hurt her, that had never been her intention.

She raised her hand to his cheek to force his eyes to meet hers once again.

Making sure that she had his full attention she went about setting the record straight.

"Obi-Wan listen to me, I don't regret what we just did, never think that."

"But…..you….."

She cut him off before he could even get started.

"I wasn't crying because of you. I was crying just to try and relieve some of the stress I'd been carrying around with me that's all."

She only partially lied to him.

One thing was for sure, she didn't regret having made love to him, she only regretted the timing of it and the circumstances that it had had to happen under but not the act itself.

She could see his relief in his eyes and she smiled at the level of selflessness this man could display.

Tenderly she stroked his face, happy to have been able to provide him with some comfort for once.

"That's good to know."

That was all he said and she wasn't entirely sure what he meant by it but at the moment she was too tired to try and work it all out, her body needing to rest after all she had been through.

So before he could say anything else she suggested that they get some rest while they still had the chance, after all who knew when they'd be ripped from the sanctuary of their bed.

Tbc……….

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Well there it is. What did you think? I originally planned on having both Padme's and Obi-Wan's POV's in this chapter but because of a combination of wanting to get another chapter up for you guys and the way it was coming out when I was writing I changed my mind. There were a lot of difficult emotions to try and work out for her to have and I hope that it makes sense that her attitude is changing a lot, because the way I see it she would have a lot to deal with. Ok so anyway let me know what you all think, take care, sassy.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I'm finally back with an update. I don't suppose you guys would believe me if I said that I did actually start this the day after I posted the last chapter? It's the truth though and you wouldn't believe what a pain Obi-Wan has been for me when it came to this chapter. I've had writer's block for weeks now but after a kick up the butt from my reviewer Maite I've actually been able to finish this new chapter.

Thank you so much for all the reviews, you guys are awesome and are a major help to me when it comes to choosing the direction that this story should take.

Ok well I'm going to shut up now so that you guys can read what you actually came here for, sorry for the long wait.

Enjoy!

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Against the utmost desires of his exhausted body he nevertheless felt himself drifting back into the unforgiving reality of the waking world.

He had his unrelenting overactive mind to thank for this untimely end to his much needed slumber and he wasn't happy about it.

His body and mind were in complete contradiction to each other and despite his wish to obey the request of his aching body it was unfortunately the needs of his mind that won the battle between the two.

Slowly the awareness of his surroundings filtered back into his consciousness, his memory reminding him of where he was and what had happened before he'd fallen asleep.

That was when he felt her warm body pressed against his, his arm encircling her, effectively holding her in place with no hope of letting her go.

Unable to contain his curiosity he carefully let his eyes flutter open, grateful of the fact that their room had been sparingly lit with only the golden glow of the fire and a couple of lights at the other end of the room ready to assault his tired eyes.

Within seconds they had completely adjusted and he was able to focus on the objects around him.

With great caution he looked down at the woman snuggled against his chest drinking in the sight of her while she wore an expression of utter contentment on her face.

He couldn't help the smile that slipped onto his lips as he silently watched her sleep, the force sending him whispers of the reason for her satisfaction, causing a slight blush to colour his cheeks briefly.

The memory of her admission that she didn't regret what they'd done adding to his good mood.

His heart had sunk into unimaginable depths of despair when she'd started to cry in his arms.

Immediately he'd thought that she hated herself for letting Dooku degrade her in the worst way possible and then that she hated him for not being able to protect her.

It had broken his heart to hear her anguished sobs.

Not once throughout the whole time that they had known each other had he seen her like that.

So weak, so vulnerable, so human.

He'd almost forgot that despite her incredible inner strength she was, after all, quite simply only human.

And as her body had trembled in his embrace he'd blamed himself for not trying harder to spare her from having to do what Dooku had requested and then proceeded to berate himself for finding pleasure and love in something that had caused her pain.

Never before had he felt so utterly helpless.

Stick him in the middle of a chaotic battlefield with the need of a clever change of tactics at a moments notice and he was fine, no problem but place the all too delicate creature that was the woman that now lay facing him, in his arms assaulted by uncontrollable sobs and he had been at a loss.

Relying only on instinct he had just let her get it out of her system, surrounding her with love and support he had held onto her tightly until her tears had finally subsided.

It had been when she had reached out for him as they lay together under the covers that his guilt had threatened to consume him.

He'd felt ashamed that she would seek him out for comfort and entrust him again with her well being when he had been the cause of her tears in the first place.

However she'd put a stop to that with her admission and now he didn't need to waste energy focusing his thoughts on something that had no basis in truth, that didn't stop a small part of his mind choosing to believe otherwise though but he'd deal with that another day if he had to for now he had other things to worry about.

Instantly his thoughts turned to his Padawan.

He released a heavy sigh as he thought about how what he and Padme had done along with his highly inappropriate new found feelings for her had complicated his relationship with Anakin.

He didn't know how he was going to look his apprentice in the eyes and hope that he wasn't completely overcome with guilt.

For the first time he was thankful that the young man was imprisoned in his cell, well away from what had transpired in this room.

He knew how strongly Anakin felt about the beautiful young woman and he knew that it wouldn't be easy for him to deal with the fact that his Master had been intimate with her, something he knew his Padawan craved to do himself.

The jealousy that Anakin would feel he could deal with, it was the fact that he had allowed himself to fall in love with her that would be the problem.

There was no doubt in his mind that not under any circumstances could he ever reveal this information to his apprentice, there was no telling what his reaction might be, Obi-Wan had a pretty good idea but there was no way that he wanted to find out for sure.

No this was something that would have to be tightly kept locked away at the back of his mind with a number of walls surrounding it making sure that it never came to light and that Anakin would never know.

Only he would know the truth of his feelings for the incredible woman who his fingertips were now absentmindedly stroking up and down the back of.

Not once had he seriously considered revealing his feelings to her for many reasons, fear of rejection and fear of acceptance amongst them but that no longer mattered because it was imperative that she never know, it wouldn't be fair to put her under even more pressure by asking her to keep his feelings a secret, he couldn't do that to her.

He hated that he would be constantly lying to everyone he cared about, most of all himself and especially Anakin but he had no other choice.

Ugh why did everything have to be so complicated?

Why did he have to go and fall in love with her?

And why did Anakin have to go and accept Dooku's indecent proposal?

His fingers still drawing patterns over her back as he lay contemplating these very questions with no real answers forthcoming he failed to notice the twitching of Padme's eyes as she slowly began to join him in the waking world, her voice startling him slightly.

"Mmmm Obi-Wan that tickles."

His attention being drawn to her straight away he stared at her still closed eyes not missing the smile that stretched across her lips a little confused as to what she was talking about and it wasn't until then that he realised what his idle hands had been doing to her bringing them to an immediate halt.

He prepared himself for her to roll away seeking her own space, the Jedi part of him wishing she would so that he could begin to detach himself from her and spare his feelings while the human part of him was delighted when she snuggled even closer into him than she already was, if that was even possible, burying her face in the crook of his neck as he felt her leg hook itself over his hip under the covers, bringing their lower bodies unbearably close together.

"Mmmm you didn't have to stop though."

He lay there frozen in place trying not to think about how sexy her voice was muffled against his throat and a little groggy from sleep afraid to move even one millimetre just in case her silky soft skin should rub against his one more time and break what little control he had over himself.

A million mundane thoughts flowed through his head as he tried desperately to stop his body from reacting to her the way it had the last time that their bodies had been so intimately pressed against each other like this but she wasn't making it easy for him, her lips placing feather light kisses against the pulse point in his neck.

He couldn't stop the shiver that shot down his spine or the desire that began to build up inside him at her ministrations, begging him to claim her as is own again.

The temptation to do so was painfully strong, he would need only have to gently push forward and their bodies would be blissfully reunited.

A moment's lapse in concentration sent his right hand on a determined path down the length of her thigh before taking a secure hold at the back of her knee as he very nearly gave into the temptation that promised to haunt him forever if he didn't do as it wished.

It took the image of his Padawan's disapproving face flashing into his conflicted mind to finally bring him back to his senses and force him to stop any other actions he may have taken.

Swallowing hard he worked hard to calm himself and find his centre in the force.

He couldn't believe what he'd been about to do and was less than impressed with his behaviour especially when he was almost a hundred percent sure that she wasn't entirely aware of what she was doing and that he would have been taking advantage of her blurry state of mind.

Clearing his throat loudly made her jump and seemed to bring the compromising position they were in to her attention for the first time.

Shocked brown eyes bore into his as he found himself at a loss for words only able to mumble her name without the hope of another sentence following it.

He didn't have to worry about that for too long though as she quickly jumped in before he could say anything else anyway.

"Oh my goodness, Obi-Wan I'm so sorry I don't know what came over me."

Just as quickly as she spoke her leg fell away from his hip and her body scooted away from his putting some much needed distance between them even if it was only a mere few inches.

"No Padme don't worry it was my fault, not yours."

He was quick to stop her from blaming herself, after all he could have stopped her sooner but he hadn't.

A slight smile crept onto her face as she looked at him.

"Well I'm not sure if you can blame yourself entirely Obi-Wan but thank you for trying to spare me some embarrassment."

After holding her gaze a few seconds longer than he probably should have he just simply let a smile of his own slip onto his lips before her eyes left his to search the surroundings of their room as much as she could from her current position before returning to his once again.

"So how long have you been awake anyway?"

"To be honest I really don't know but I can't imagine that it's been very long, surely no longer than an hour. I've no idea even as to how long we were asleep in the first place but from the way my body aches I can say for sure that it wasn't nearly long enough."

That earned him a little laugh from her in return.

"I know what you mean but once I'm up, I'm up."

"I'm sorry I woke you, I didn't mean to."

"Don't worry, better you than Dooku."

She had a point there, it wouldn't have been good for Dooku to have come in when they were asleep, he wouldn't have had any hope of protecting her then and there was no way that Dooku was going to harm a hair on her head if he could help it.

"How long do you think we have until he comes for us?"

Her question interrupted his thoughts.

"Not long, I should think he'd be looking forward to gloating about how we've gone through with what he wanted, believe me."

He could only imagine how ecstatic the sick old man was that he'd beaten them once again.

"Do you think he saw?"

Her eyes looked so innocent as he wondered what answer he should give to her, should he tell her what he honestly thought or should he just lie and tell her what she probably wanted to hear.

"Unfortunately yes I do, he's nothing if not thorough and what with him having such a twisted mind there's no way he would have missed it."

He decided that the truth was best, she'd see straight through him if he lied anyway.

"That's what I thought. Actually while we're on this topic I just wanted to say thank you."

"Thank you? For what?"

He was more than a little confused and he couldn't hide it either on his face or in his voice as she leaned closer to him and reached out with her hand to caress his cheek.

"For making last night special, for making me forget the reason behind what we were doing and most of all for making me feel so loved, I'll never forget that Obi-Wan, it'll stay with me forever."

He was speechless.

All he could do was stare in wonder at the love he saw in her eyes as she gazed so deeply into his soul.

Without caring what the consequences might be he did what he'd been dying to do since he'd woken up and seen her lying in his arms and gently lowered his lips to hers.

Tbc…….

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What do you think? I may have rushed the ending slightly but that was because I was desperate to get this up tonight for you. It wouldn't have been much longer if I had taken another day anyway as this was pretty much all I wanted to include in the chapter. Please review and let me know your thoughts and if you're still liking it. Thanks for being so patient with me. Take care and hopefully I'll be back soon, Sassy.


	15. Chapter 15

Hello! (Hangs head in shame)

Yes I know, I'm shocked too, I'm actually back with an update. You all have my reviewer Tamara who has been making me feel extremely guilty for keeping you guys waiting so long with a few of her emails to me to thank for this update. I am so ashamed that I have made you guys wait this long for this, you all deserve better because you are all so fantastically brilliant to me with all your wonderful reviews. I can't believe how many I've gotten since the last chapter was posted, there have been well over 20. And some of them have been incredibly flattering and I thank you all for taking the time to find this story and let me know what you think.

I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who read and reviewed 'Those Sweet Words', I'm so glad that everyone is still interested in that series.

Ok I had planned for this chapter to be a lot longer but that was before I realised that Padme's POV would take up so much time and space, so I decided that Anakin needed a chapter to himself and it will be his POV that we see in the chapter after this one.

Ok well here goes, please do all enjoy and thanks again for being so patient with me.

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Something with more significance than was appropriate had passed between them as she'd gazed so deeply into the clearest blue eyes in which she'd seen so much passion, tenderness, understanding, regret and love that they would forever be embedded in her mind to haunt her for the rest of her life.

She should have stopped him when she'd noticed his lips descending onto hers but she didn't have the power to fight the every fibre in her being that was crying out for her to let him kiss her again.

Melting into his heartbreakingly gentle kiss she was momentarily forced to forget anything of the outside world, a shaky whimper escaping her normally unwavering composure while what felt like a thousand butterflies assaulted her stomach.

So focused on what he was making her feel was she that she never heard the door to their room, the door that had not once been noticed or thought about since Obi-Wan had so forcefully been thrown through it, open or the almost silent footsteps of the men that filed inside to surround them.

Violently her lips were ripped from Obi-Wan's when she heard the loud clearing of a throat, the sudden sound making them both jump and her yelp in surprise.

Frantically her eyes took in all the new faces that filled their once private room, never once lingering for more than a couple of seconds on one in particular until she was faced with the unwelcome sight of Count Dooku standing a mere few metres away from the bed that she still lay completely naked within in a very compromising position with her dear friend.

Much to her own distress the Count held her gaze, a satisfied grin stretching out his thin lips as he continued to stare at her.

She could only thank the force that he hadn't brought Anakin with him, how would she have explained what she had just been doing to him?

For now she was glad that that dilemma had not been placed upon her.

"My deepest apologies Master Kenobi, I thought you had had your fill of the Senator but then I cannot blame you, I doubt any man could resist going back for seconds of such a delicious specimen of the female species. Tell me does she taste as good as she looks?"

She felt Obi-Wan's body tense up against hers, a sure enough sign that Dooku's words produced a spark of anger within the normally serene Jedi but the feeling must have been only a fleeting one as she soon felt him relax once again, making the assumption that the forbidden emotion had been released into the cleansing source of the force.

There was to be no easy escape for her own anger though as she felt its energy coursing through the blood in her veins making her temperature rise.

She knew that she really shouldn't be shocked at his words but still she couldn't believe he actually had the audacity to say something so vile to the revered Jedi Knight beside her while in her own presence, he had no right to treat her with such little respect and to talk as if she weren't even in the room.

She knew that she'd only be giving him exactly what he wanted, after all it was obvious that his question had been designed to provoke such a high tempered reaction from her, from them both, but she couldn't hold herself back, there was no way that she was just going to lay there in total silence and let him get away with this.

She had just been about to tell him precisely what she thought of his antics when an unexpected wave of calmness washed over her, robbing her of all the anger she had felt the few seconds before it.

Instantly her eyes glared into the face of her friend, knowing without doubt that her new found serenity was his doing, annoyed that he had taken that righteous feeling from her and that he didn't acknowledge her studying of him, instead staring straight into the eyes of their intruder.

Watching him closely she was chilled to the bone to see an emotionless smile slip onto his face, his normally kind eyes now stone cold and devoid of any of the compassion that she had seen in them countless times, this was definitely not the Obi-Wan that she knew and cherished, instead he was replaced with the one that always seemed to appear whenever Dooku was involved.

"Nice try Dooku but I will not rise to your bait and your enquiry will not be justified with an answer." Obi-Wan's voice was steady and betrayed no feeling at all.

She honestly was amazed at the change that took place in him whenever Dooku was present and how quickly that change could come about as it had been only moments before that his attentions of her had been, among other things, gentle and sweet.

He wasn't totally lost to her in all his hostility towards Dooku though as unbeknownst to everyone else from beneath the privacy of the covers his thumb traced tiny circles over her hip bone in calming motions, causing her to have to suppress a shudder that it threatened to produce.

After this tiny moment of indulgence she chided herself for being so easily excited by his touch, she had no right to be, especially when Dooku was so close by, she dreaded to think what else would be said if the perverted Sith lord had felt her reaction to that secret caress.

With his reappearance she knew that it was now imperative that she keep her mind as heavily shielded as possible in order to protect her unknown new found feelings for Obi-Wan from his intrusive probing and make sure that she remained the only one to know about them.

And as of this very moment she herself would have to try and forget that they even existed for she had already vowed to love another for the rest of her life and she couldn't turn her back on that now, no matter how much a mistake she knew that to have been.

As she did just that she could already feel a deep ache settle in her heart as she took the first grievous steps in denying her forbidden feelings, hoping against hope that with time she wouldn't feel the pain of this denial so acutely and that someday her soul would forgive her for the poor judgements she had made in her life prior to this point in time, she hadn't known any better.

Relief from her silent torment came with the unnerving voice of their captor.

"Such a spoil sport Master Jedi and how very unfair of you to keep all of your knowledge to yourself when you know full well that there are many men who crave to do exactly what you have done and may never get to experience it themselves, I would have thought that it was the least you could do to give them some idea of what it was like." Dooku paused in his sickening attempt to try and get Obi-Wan to lose control of his emotions, to take a pointed look at her which he made sure the Jedi Master followed before he continued to annoy them with the sound of his voice.

"Besides Amidala was all the bait I needed, I saw for myself that she was able to get a substantially large enough rise out of you to thoroughly satisfy herself and provide me with the answer to my own question, she must indeed taste exquisite."

The triumphant grin on his face making her hate him even more, if that was at all possible.

"That's enough Dooku." Obi-Wan's voice took on a threatening tone as his eyes carried within them a warning for the Count to not try his patience, making sure that the elder man knew that he was treading on thin ice before he continued.

"You've made it plainly obvious that you've already seen what went on between us last night and therefore you know that we held up our end of the bargain so now its time for you to hold up yours and set us free, that is unless for some twisted reason you require more proof than what you saw with your own eyes and what I have in so many words admitted to myself?"

She watched with a slight panic rising within her as the two men just stared at each other in some kind of private stand off, each one silently daring the other to do something that would be excuse enough for them to start duelling to the death, her mind racing with what other proof Dooku might want and what she may be subjected to against her will.

After a torturously long unknown amount of time the Sith lord made his reply.

"Not at all Master Kenobi, no further proof will be required for I do not believe that there are a pair of actors alive or that have ever lived that could possibly be talented enough to fake what happened between the two of you, no what I saw was very real and I defy anyone to say otherwise. Oh and on another note I must say that I doubt that Master Yoda would have approved of your misuse of the force on Amidala but then what good is it to possess such powers if you can't have fun with them every once in a while? I know I probably would have done the same thing if I had been in your position."

Would that frustratingly annoying smile ever leave his face?

She cringed at both the awful image that flashed through her mind of Dooku having taken the place of Obi-Wan as she was suspended in the air completely naked above him and the knowledge that the sickening old man had watched them do something as private as that and most definitely taken pleasure in having seen it.

"Very well Dooku seeing as you know that we did as you wanted then you have no other reason to continue holding us, so you and your men will leave us while we change, go get my Padawan and bring him to me so that we can be on our way back Coruscant just as you have given your word to do." Just as on the last two previous occasions her friend had denied Dooku the pleasure of eliciting a reaction out of him that would be unbecoming of a Jedi.

Despite knowing that it would put her back at square one when it came to trying to deny her feelings for him and slowly working her way back to what was appropriate behaviour between them, she nevertheless searched under the covers for one of his hands and upon finding one lightly stroked the back of it before lacing her fingers with his as a sign of her gratitude and support.

No note of the concealed contact registered on his stern face but it was by no means unacknowledged as his much larger hand gave her smaller one a gentle squeeze.

His mental strength never failed to surprise her.

She honestly didn't know how he could remain so calm and in control while Dooku was relentlessly goading him in such a disgusting way, just waiting for him to slip up and let his anger loose.

Even if Dooku's words were having an effect on him she knew that Obi-Wan would never show it, he may speak with a slightly irritated air in his voice but that would be it, she wished she could say that Anakin would behave the same way were he in his Master's position right now but she knew he wouldn't.

If it were Anakin that Dooku had said all those things to then she knew just as positively as she knew that Obi-Wan's were the bluest eyes she had ever seen that Dooku would no longer be breathing and their situation would have become a whole lot more difficult than it already was.

Thank the force that Obi-Wan wasn't Anakin.

"As much as I would like to oblige you Master Kenobi, I'm afraid I can't. You see I have a plan of my own and things to arrange before I can let you go but please rest assured that you will be set free soon, just not right now. For now we are going to take you back to the cells from which you came dressed as you are and we will provide you with clothes once you are settled again. I promise you it will not take long."

The thought of going back to that darkened damp cell made her feel sick and caused her to hold onto Obi-Wan's hand even tighter just as an unexpected amused grumble came from his throat before he spoke.

"I don't think so Dooku, I don't trust you."

For the first time since he had abruptly re-entered their lives she saw Count Dooku display a slight case of frustration, Obi-Wan's resilience finally appearing to grate on him.

"Look Obi-Wan this isn't up for negotiations of any kind, I do not want to have to use brute force but I will if I have to if you do not come peacefully. I will swear to you on the memory of my late Padawan that you will go free. Now move aside and let my men take the Senator."

Again she watched them stare each other down, neither appearing to be willing to back down as the room filled with silence and not one single movement made until Obi-Wan slowly sat up and slipped out the side of the bed, calmly telling her to gather the sheet around her and then come to stand behind him and stay there.

Without a word spoken she did as he said, the dangerous tension in the room making her a little nervous as to what was about to happen as Obi-Wan stood before everyone completely naked and not caring one bit.

"Obi-Wan what are you doing? You cannot hope to escape. You don't know your way through the tunnels or the whereabouts of your Padawan and you have no weapon with which to fight, it would be wise for you to back down." Dooku warned.

Looking around the room she saw all of the Count's men train their blasters on Obi-Wan and she had to wonder what made him think that this could end well for them both.

"I will not let you take her Dooku, she is staying with me. I'll die before I let you touch her and I wouldn't count on me being totally defenceless."

In the blink of an eye she stood witness as Obi-Wan waved his arm in the direction of three of Dooku's guards and to her own astonishment saw them lifted rapidly into the air before being smashed against the wall, successfully knocked unconscious.

She couldn't help the loud gasp that fell from her lips at the sudden movement, her eyes for once seeking out the face of their captor to see what his reaction would be.

He wasn't happy to say the least.

Uneasy seconds passed as they waited for his response, a response she could have waited forever for if it meant that Obi-Wan would remain unharmed but unfortunately forever never came.

"I didn't want to have to do this Obi-Wan but you've left me no choice."

Her heart beat fiercely in her chest as she saw Count Dooku set his blaster.

Her eyes moved to Obi-Wan, frantically looking over all the bruises on his bare back remembering that the last time that she had stood in this position she had made a promise that she wouldn't be the cause of his death and that this time she would save his life, well as far as she could see she wasn't anywhere near finished saving it yet.

"Wait! Stop!" In the same moment that she had stepped forward and shouted her protest so had Count Dooku released a shot from his blaster striking her love.

"Nooooooooo!" Came the gut wrenching scream from her tiny frame.

Tbc………

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Ok, ok don't hate me, just trust me on this one ok. You guys know what I'm about by now and you know that this story has a way to go yet so don't all aim your guns at me yet. I hope you liked this update, I'm going to start working on the next chapter straight away and who knows it may just be up within a reasonable amount of time. I would love to know what all you wonderful people think so if you think that I deserve it then please leave me a review. Love you all, Sassy.


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: SURPRISE!! Yep I can't quite believe it myself either but indeed I am actually updating this baby! Now don't be confused by the fact that its still chapter16 there is a reason for it. You see the notebook that I actually start doing any of my writing in didn't have a finished version of chapter 16 and it had been such a long time that I didn't think that I had completed and posted it at all so I carried on writing it from where it was in the book. So the outcome is that this chapter now has been extended and ends differently.

If any of you wonderful people that used to read this story of mine are still out there and reading this now then I would like to sincerely apologise for the long wait on this, it's almost been 2 years for crying out loud. These characters left me for quite some time and I didn't feel that I had anything left to say with them but anyway the chapters here now and that's what counts.

Hope you enjoy it.

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Seething laboured breaths gradually flowed out of his quietly enraged body, their rhythmic timing one of the only things that was making it possible for him to cling to what was left of his sanity.

Sitting in a daze, his vision was a complete blur as he continued to stare at some utterly unimportant spot in the distance, its identity discovered and forgotten all at once.

He couldn't be sure of just how long he'd sat alone in the darkness of the eerily silent control room because quite frankly he didn't care about anything that didn't involve what was going on in the room below him.

He only vaguely remembered Dooku approaching him some minutes after his Master had removed himself from his wife's body and with what was hardly contained glee say a few inappropriate words, all of which had been completely lost on him as his attention had rightfully so remained fixed on what was happening between the two most important people in his life.

His gaze had been unrelenting as he'd studied their every move with each minute detail committed to memory, from his wife's crocodile tears to the way they both snuggled into each other during their slumber.

Indeed the only details that had escaped him were the whispered words exchanged between the pair not long after her tears had begun to fall, the force collar around his neck preventing him from being able to use the force to enhance his hearing.

So instead the possibilities of what could have been said between them had been left up to that ever present imagination of his and once more the results had mainly portrayed the two in an unflattering light.

It was all too easy to think the worst of people, even if they were the two most trusted people in his life.

That was how his mind worked, something he justified to himself by always thinking that at least that way it was easier to prepare himself for that being the eventual outcome.

Although his arrogance told him that his thoughts required no justification, his thoughts were his own and he needn't explain them to anyone.

Padme and Obi-Wan had conducted themselves in a way that left him no other choice but to assume they had been having a long term affair behind his back, so why shouldn't he think the worst of them?

He had such a deep internal struggle when he saw the tears start to fall down his love's rosy cheeks.

For a moment he was his ordinary self again and he desperately wanted to be with her, to hold her and offer her comfort during this rare breakdown of her usually steely resolve.

He had stared down at her softly shaking petite frame and his heart had pined for her.

There was no suspicion about her tears and he attached no reason for them other than she must truly regret what had happened, that it was killing her inside that she'd been forced to be unfaithful to him, that she loved only him.

That was all before the darkness had started to creep back into his exhausted mind and twist those brief sincerely caring feelings.

All of it was quickly replaced with anger, arrogance and betrayal which without any hesitation began to cloud his mind.

They all took their turns in presenting their own versions of why she was in the state she was in but it was the arrogance that got there first with the main purpose of boosting his battered ego.

Indeed his arrogance played with his ego and offered him the scenario of his wife's tears being down to the fact that his Master had only reminded her of what she had been missing from her husband for so long now and shown her that nothing could compare to him and his touch.

Yes, he found this version of events very appealing indeed.

Of course she was now breaking down like this because she had been reminded that only her powerful husband could give her the satisfaction that her body craved.

Only his magic touch could truly bring her to life.

His now overly healthy ego was convinced that Obi-Wan hadn't been able to please her at all and that his beloved Padme had had to force herself not to recoil in disgust from his pathetic touch.

Such was the state of his crumbling mind that this feeling and conclusion didn't last long at all; instead it easily made way for the next emotion.

Anger.

He could feel his blood begin to boil as the dark and fiery feelings took hold of him, quickly screwing with all that had come before.

No longer could he find any semblance of reason within him and he found himself unwilling to make excuses for Padme and Obi-Wan anymore.

He was soon angry with just about everything and everyone.

The forbidden emotion all consuming.

He was angry at himself for allowing this whole situation to occur in the first place, he wasn't far from taking the trials and he was the chosen one, he should have been able to rescue Padme, capture Dooku and effectively ended the war with no trouble.

He had been weak and he had no time for weakness, he should be beyond weakness.

Thinking of his failure only made him angrier and it was all down to one person.

Dooku.

Words could not describe how much he hated this man especially in the face of a second failure to him.

And it was all because of these damn failures that he had accepted the insufferable old man's proposal and pushed his wife into the arms of his Master.

If at all possible his temper may have got worse with the thought of that.

He was angry at Obi-Wan for holding him back all these years and contributing to the fact that he hadn't been able to rescue his wife and stop this from happening.

He was angry at Obi-Wan for seducing her so thoroughly, for taking his time with her body, for so easily being attracted to her, for most probably having an affair with her and keeping it from him.

Thinking rationally had become impossible a long time ago and now there was no telling where his mind was going to end up.

Eventually his attention came back to focus on the woman he had called his angel and that was when the betrayal began to mix with his anger.

He was furious with her for having the audacity to cry after what she had done to him.

He was angry at her for what her tears really meant and for how she had manipulated him with them.

She was only thinking of herself and didn't give a damn about him.

The real reason for her tears was because she knew what a mistake she had made in marrying him and that she couldn't be with the man she truly loved, Obi-Wan.

He should have seen through her but she had tricked him with her smiles and kisses.

She was no angel; no she was a conniving temptress who had deliberately torn his heart to shreds.

He'd never forgive her for this and she wouldn't be getting away with it.

She'd get what was coming to her.

Sudden movement from below caught his eye and brought his vision back into focus, snapping him out of the dark path his mind had been taking.

He watched as Dooku and his men filled the lavish bedroom and shocked its original two occupants awake.

As always his attention was drawn firstly to his wife, his eyes registering every flick of an expression that appeared on her face, determined not to miss a single detail and indeed he didn't.

Much to his surprise her features didn't look like they had just been suddenly awakened, her eyes showed no sign of the tiredness or confusion that came with an unnatural rise to consciousness, for sure she looked shocked and quite frightened but there was no mistaking the clear focused manner of her gaze.

Carefully he continued his intense studying of her and that was when he saw it, the quick flash of guilt and panic that flew across her face, departing just as quickly as it had arrived.

His mind reeled at the fleeting appearance of those two emotions and what could have been the reasoning behind them.

So many different scenarios passed through his mind yet again, his vivid imagination leaping at the chance to help him connect countless amounts of dots, assumptions being made left, right and centre, none of them a concrete certainty but all of them believed.

What had she been doing before the Count's intrusion?

To try and find the answer his attention shifted to Obi-Wan, quickly scanning his face for some sign that would confirm some of the possibilities that he'd provided himself but there was nothing to be found.

All that could be seen was the immense tension of what seemed to look like a very heated conversation between his Master and the sith.

With what little movement his restraints allowed Anakin slammed his hands onto the chair in which he sat, annoyed with himself for not having paid closer attention to his Master sooner and even more importantly for missing the first exchanges of the dialogue that had opened up between the two men.

Frantically his mind scrambled to catch up with what was being said, straining his hearing to its very limits in the hope of not missing another word.

All went quiet for a few moments until Dooku piped up to unveil his plan for the pair much to Obi-Wan's disapproval.

Despite the turmoil of his constantly changing emotions and opinions of everything that he had witnessed between his Master and wife for this moment in time he was in full agreement with his Master, Padme would be going nowhere.

Anger began to rise within him again at his inability to protect is vulnerable wife.

He wanted desperately to be down in that room tearing down the bodies of all the men that now surrounded her, causing her distress with the threat to her safety.

There was no doubt in his mind that she was scared and wishing that he were there to rescue her.

Yet again he was reminded of how he should have killed Dooku the first time they'd met.

He should have known that the old man wouldn't have made things easy for them to leave this godforsaken place, the sith probably had no intention of letting them go at all.

Anakin watched with astonishment at first when he caught sight of Obi-Wan emerging from the bed completely naked standing before everyone without an ounce of shame but his surprise shortly passed and was replaced with that of a deep seeded pride for his mentor.

In that moment a light came back on inside him, a tiny light amongst all the darkness that had been consuming him bit by bit for so long now that reminded him of the true selfless and noble nature of the man that had raised him for so many years.

There was the man that he loved as a father, brother and friend standing in front of numerous armed men in the most vulnerable state a man could find himself in and he still managed to look a dangerous an opponent as ever, perhaps even more so.

Through it all he heard Dooku tell Obi-Wan to back down and from his position up in the control room even he could tell that Obi-Wan was in no mood to be taking orders.

The look on his Master's face was that of stubborn determination and for the first time in a long time Anakin was grateful for the fact that Padme was there in that room with him.

The darkness that so badly wanted to be in complete control of him was unrelenting in its attack on the little spark of light that had found its way back into his soul for those brief moments.

Part of him exhaustedly tried to fight it off and use whatever strength he had to help that light grow but it was all getting too much for his tired mind.

The light was quickly being distinguished as darker thoughts began to twist everything around and made him question Obi-Wan's motives for all the extensive measures he was taking to stop Dooku from taking Padme out of the bedroom.

It most certainly wasn't out of selflessness, quite the opposite in fact.

All Obi-Wan really wanted was to keep her all to himself, for them to remain together so that they could continue to conduct their forbidden affair.

Confirmation came with the sudden burst of violence that saw some of Dooku's men go flying through the air, shocking him to see his Master use the force in such a way.

Irritation spread within him to see the arrogance Obi-Wan had to think that he had the right to try and claim the creature that already belonged to his Padawan, as his own.

Silently he urged Dooku to take the Jedi down with the weapon he had aimed at him, to do what the darkness was telling him was in fact something that should be accomplished by him but for now this would do.

The tiny speck of light inside him begged to be set free to show him what he truly felt about everything but for now the darkness had too strong a hold on him and instead of the usual cry of despair that would escape him whenever his Master was hurt, a smile of satisfaction spread across his face.

TBC…………….

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Ok so that was the chapter. If any of you can forgive me for making you wait so long

then please do leave a review and let me know what you think. I have no idea how long it'll be until the next chapter, I'm kind of just seeing where the sudden spout of inspiration takes me for the time being. Thanks for reading.

Take Care, Sassy.


	17. Chapter 17

Your eyes aren't playing tricks on you, this story is indeed getting an update. All I'm going to say is that I really don't deserve any one of you wonderful reviewers but I thankyou from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read and review and continually coming back to this story. It amazes me every time I get a new review come up in my email. I've never totally given up on this story and I'm so flattered that neither have so many of you.

All I can say is thankyou and that I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

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She struggled with all the strength she had within her against the two sets of arms that were holding her, dragging her back through the many tunnels of this unknown compound.

It was no use though, her captors were just too strong and no amount of kicking out was going to change that.

Yet again Dooku didn't want her to see where she was being taken and her head was covered with a hood.

The fabric was rough against her skin and fly away fibres tickled her throat as she gasped for air underneath it.

She'd tried calling out. Practically screamed Obi-Wan's name when she'd first been dragged out of their room but when she'd almost been suffocated by a rough hand blocking her mouth and nose she soon realised that it wouldn't benefit her to continue.

Better she be quiet and maybe break free than be a lifeless heap on the floor.

Her mind was rushing through all the events that had lead her to where she was now while also trying to pick up any clues as to where she was being taken.

It was so hard to quiet her mind and remain in the moment.

Everything had happened so quickly after Obi-Wan had been shot.

She had been hunched over his limp body, frantically trying to wake him, when she was grabbed from behind and swept up into the arms of Dooku's footmen.

Unshed tears had already blurred her vision when the hood was pulled over her head, leaving her with the last painful image of her love's vulnerable form lying on the floor next to the bed where his strong, warm body had been pressed against hers not ten minutes before.

Now as she was being forced into what she assumed to be her previous cell, with only the darkness that her covered vision provided her, all she could see was that last image over and over in her mind.

More than that she kept on replaying the moment Obi-Wan was shot, torturing herself with it, desperately trying to think of something she could have done differently.

One thing kept on coming back to her.

If only she'd reacted quicker and spoke up sooner, maybe they could have avoided this whole situation.

She was reunited with solid ground with an unceremonious thump as she was released from the arms that had been holding her prisoner.

She scrambled to get back to her feet, ripping the hood from her head, feeling disorientated as she fought to get to the door of her cell before it left her trapped in the room.

Yet again though she wasn't quick enough as the door slammed with a loud bang and she heard the scraping metal of the bolts as they were secured in place.

A feeling of defeat momentarily fell upon her as she stood with her fingertips pressed up against the cold surface of the door.

Trapped, cold and alone. Back exactly where she had started.

The chilled are struck her skin while she stood puffing and panting against the door and she realised that the sheet she'd covered herself with had fallen away in her haste for freedom.

She hugged herself to cover at least some of her naked state while gingerly reaching for the sheet and wrapping it around herself.

Her eyes scanned the dimly lit cell for any tell tale signs of surveillance cameras.

Much as she suspected there wasn't anything obvious but she had no doubt that there were surely a number of them hidden within the walls observing her every move.

She released a heavy sigh and allowed her shoulders to slump as the weight of everything fell upon her.

Slowly she walked over to the only object inside her cell that would provide any kind of comfort, the small single bed.

Sitting down she brought her knees up to her chest and tightly secured the sheet around herself, trying to generate some sort of warmth.

Leaning back against the rough stone wall she fought to keep her emotions in check.

Padme desperately didn't want to break down again, especially when there was the very real possibility that Dooku was watching her.

She was adamant that he wasn't going to catch a glimpse of her in a moment of weakness, certainly not when he'd most likely seen her succumb to the need to cry in Obi-Wan's arms earlier.

Thinking of Obi-Wan almost threatened to send her completely over the edge.

To say she was worried about him was a total understatement.

She was terrified for him.

She wanted to know so badly where he was and what was happening to him.

Just what kind of damage had Dooku done to him this time?

Every time she closed her eyes she kept seeing rapid images of the wounds that had already been covering his body and then him collapsing on the ground after Dooku's latest blaster shot.

She took in a ragged breath fighting to keep her composure and purge those images from her mind.

She had to remain strong.

She knew it wouldn't be healthy to keep everything bottled up but it really was the only choice she had.

There was no time for weakness.

She had no idea how long she was going to be kept here this time and she had to prepare herself for what was to come, whatever that may be.

Most important of all was the continuation of her denial of her feelings that had emerged within those four walls.

It simply wasn't an option that Anakin find out about the truths that her heart had revealed to her.

There was no telling the damage that would be the result of him making such a discovery.

As much as she hated having to deceive him in this way she knew that no good could come from her reaching that level of honesty with him.

It could all end with her now as she was the only one who knew that such a revelation had been made.

The only option she had was to fundamentally believe within herself that those feelings didn't exist and that they never had.

Staring at a blank spot on the wall opposite her she felt her breath hitch as her heart and mind began to grieve the loss she was inflicting upon herself.

She concentrated on forgetting everything that had transpired between them.

It was imperative that no traces be left in her mind that Anakin may discover.

She knew that she wouldn't be able to solely rely on her mental shields when it came to him.

She couldn't take the chance that he might try and probe her mind one night when they may be together and she was asleep.

Closing her eyes and relaxing her breathing she focused long and hard on repressing the selected memories and feelings that she'd shared while with Obi-Wan, attempting to leave behind only a handful of not so painful ones.

She had to forget his touch, his kisses and most importantly she had to forget the look in his eyes that almost seemed to tell her that he felt the same way she did.

She was so grateful that they hadn't done anything stupid like make any kinds of confessions or declarations to one another.

With everything left unsaid it would be so much easier to go on as if nothing had ever happened.

She didn't know how long she spent working on her task but eventually she felt confident that she'd done enough to complete that half of it successfully.

Now she had to move on to phase two.

She had to concentrate on Anakin.

Her husband. The love of her life.

Mentally she repeated the label and statement over and over, working to convince her sub-conscious of the truth in them both.

She needed to embed feelings of happiness whenever she attached those thoughts to Anakin. She'd been happy about them before so she could be happy about them again.

It needed to all be completely genuine.

The heightened situation, exhaustion and stress that had lead up to her time with Obi-Wan had left her in a state of confusion as to her feelings towards both he and Anakin.

She had mistaken the love and respect of the deep friendship that she and Obi-Wan shared for that of a romantic love.

She loved Anakin.

She was in love with Anakin.

He was her husband and he made her happy.

He had been making her happy for the last year.

He was the only one she wanted and needed.

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she came to fully believe the lies she had told herself, the only outward sign of her inner turmoil.

Her heart broke and a dull ache settled within her soul.

Her deepest secret would remain protected, buried within herself where no one would ever uncover it and she knew that she'd be able to fool anyone, including herself.

Anakin would never find out.

Pulling the soft sheet closer to her body she sank down into the mattress of the bed, lying in a foetal position.

Time passed unknowingly as a mood of despair came over her until she heard the bolts of her door once again scraping open and a number of Dooku's men filed in, the man himself not far behind them.

She stared at him in silence for a few moments and just when she was about to break it he beat her to it.

"Senator you have ten minutes to change into these clothes that I'm providing you and then my men will return to take you to the ship that will give you your freedom. Do not attempt anything stupid that will only serve to waste both our time."

And with that he quickly turned on his heal and was gone, leaving her alone again, hoping against all hope that that ship would be supplying freedom for all three of them and not just two.

Tbc...

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So I'm not going to make any concrete promises as to how long it'll be until the next chapter. All I can say is that I'm motivated again and that I have the next few chapters planned out on paper. I'm going to see how kind life is when it comes to getting the free time to be able to write them. THANKYOU to each and every one of you yet again. X.


	18. Chapter 18

Hello everyone! I'm so excited to have a new chapter for you, I actually managed to get another chapter written in the same year lol, definitely something to celebrate after the last few years.

I wanted to take to the time to say thankyou for each of your reviews, favourites, alerts and whatnot. It really does astound me the reactions that you all have to this story of mine and it really does make me strive to get it to a conclusion for you all one day. You are all the best readers a writer could ask for, especially one that had been wondering whether I could even begin to live up to the promise this story had when I first started it. I don't have that problem anymore as I know where I want it to go and it will definitely get an ending at some point, that will be many, many chapters away though.

So here for all of you is the next chapter, enjoy xx

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With a tight, unrelenting air of tension Anakin Skywalker sat in the pilot seat of a small spacecraft surrounded by the usual twinkling lights he'd expect to find on the control panels of any ship, his shoulders slightly hunched over.

He'd become accustomed to sitting in a world of silence during this spat of captivity with only the phantom and elusive sound of his own inner voice to fill the void.

Taking the time to look over the decidedly beige colour of the room around him he could tell that this ship wasn't about to be one of the finest models he'd ever fly in his lifetime but upon closer inspection he could see that it wasn't as rudimentary as some of the ones he'd seen during his childhood on Tatooine.

There were tell tale signs that some modifications had been made to the original design but none of them were for the benefit or protection of those that would travel in her.

It was obvious that Dooku's plan was to give them their freedom but not at the expense of the safety of this compound.

This ship would do its job of getting them back home to Coruscant and nothing else.

He hadn't really expected anything else but he took pleasure in imagining how satisfying it would be to wreak havoc on the old Sith's hideaway, the corners of his lips twitching until they stretched into a tight, sadistic smile as he pictured the devastation that would be left in his wake.

These triumphant feelings were fleeting though as they only more starkly reminded him of his current deprivation of the force.

Cramped and handcuffed in the small seat at the helm of this ship he was aware of just how little energy he had and the fact that his mind couldn't hope to grasp the memory of the last time he'd actually slept since this ordeal had all begun.

If he was being honest with himself, exhausted didn't even come close to describing what he was feeling at this point in time.

It was plain to see that his body and mind were in desperate need of sleep right now but to close his eyes meant to be transported back to that damn control room and tormented with the many images of what awaited him in the room below.

For the time being he could not hope for sleep.

More than that, he'd come to the realisation that he needed and most desired the return of the force to rejuvenate his body.

While sleep would definitely leave him feeling well rested and give his mind time to process some of the emotions and experiences he'd been through recently, he knew that if he wanted to feel more empowered then reuniting with the splendour of the force was what it would take.

Twisting his neck awkwardly he once again felt the tight grip of the force collar pressed against his skin and anxiously awaited the moment he would hear it clang against the metal floor and announce his true freedom.

It was clear that sleep was going to continue to elude him for the foreseeable future and without doubt he would need the extra strength that the all healing force could provide him.

His tired and irritated eyes briefly came out of the haze they had been in and focused on each one of the indistinctive faces of the several men Dooku had sent to stand guard around him.

All of them stood to attention, looking like monotonous robots with their blasters at the ready.

Anakin didn't spare one thought to acknowledge that they too were made of flesh and blood or that they breathed the same air as him, instead they were simply the enemy.

That didn't stop his pride from being boosted though by the large number of them and their readiness to attack.

He was proud to see that they knew just who it was that they were guarding and that he was finally being shown some of the respect he deserved.

His lips came to life again for a moment as a self indulgent smirk played across them a little as he thought about the fear that must be in their minds at what he was capable of.

They'd all be running scared once he was able to unleash himself fully again.

No one would be able to stop him when the mystical power of the force had returned to him and was flowing through his veins.

Tedious hours had passed by since he'd last seen Padme and Obi-Wan in which he'd only been disturbed once when some of the very same men that surrounded him now, had arrived to transport him to his current location.

During that time of solitude he'd thought of little more than how best to plan out the course his revenge would take.

The first ideas had come to him after he'd watched Padme fight against those that were carrying her away from Obi-Wan and towards some unknown location.

She'd practically been trying to claw her way back to her stricken Jedi, not caring one bit how she looked and her very near state of undress.

There was no hiding the panic and determination that was plastered all over her face in those moments.

His Master's predicament had been forgotten by Anakin as he'd focused all his attention on this new side of his wife he was seeing.

The usual protectiveness had kicked in when he'd first seen her struggling and he'd thrashed against his confines, desperate to get to her and genuinely worried about her safety.

His wrists still wore the dark red and purple bruises inflicted upon them from the force of the assault but now as he stared down at those bruises all that feeling of protectiveness had left him and instead he was filled with vengeance and a numbness that was settling more easily into his heart.

He'd been planning every last detail of how he was going to exact his revenge upon all those that had taken part in this scandal, his so-called 'angel' included.

He inwardly chided himself for his naivety and for allowing her to delude him into thinking her heart was pure.

Maybe a part of him would always believe she was his angel but now he also saw the temptress that had been hiding within.

The darkness that had overtaken him in the passing hours had whispered to him that no one had been an innocent bystander in all of this.

They had all played their part and they would all be re-paid in full, which was a promise he would be sure to keep.

His precious Padme would be the first to sample his wrath for betraying him.

When the time came to begin her torturous punishment he'd learn for once the virtue of patience and appreciate what delayed gratification felt like.

He wanted to watch her crumble inside as her reality came undone, the way his had when he'd watched her welcome Obi-Wan inside her body.

Prolonging her suffering would make it all that much sweeter.

He'd give her the opportunity to try and convince him that she didn't want Obi-Wan, that it was him she loved and would only ever love.

He didn't expect her to make a successful attempt of it but all the same he'd see what kind of a performance she could put before him.

Whether she convinced him or not didn't really matter in the end, he still had the same plan for her, either way he was going to reclaim her as his own with or without her permission.

Senator Amidala would be reminded just who exactly she belonged to and all thoughts of her other knight would be banished from her mind.

He could see her now, knelt before him, her delicate face stained red with tears while she repented her sins, begging him for forgiveness.

He pictured himself pinning her down and ravishing her body without care, taking back what was rightfully his.

He'd mark her as his property and leave her in no doubt as to whom her master is.

She would obey him; he'd make sure of it.

She'd pledge her heart and body to him again.

He could feel the blood pumping round his body with greater need as the sequence of images flooded his mind.

He clenched and unclenched his hands, his fingertips eager to be on her skin, ready to rip her clothes right off of her body.

His lower body was beginning to respond in kind to the need to make her his and his mouth began to water with anticipation of completing his plan.

If he didn't get a handle on himself he'd soon be panting and revealing his state to the guards around him.

As much as he didn't want to he had to calm down, he would have her soon enough.

With much effort he switched his focus onto the other two that would be the main recipients of his anger.

The last time he'd seen the pair of them one of them lay unconscious on the floor and the other stood over them, staring down at their prone body.

While he'd studied them for a split second Anakin had seen regret flash across the crinkled features of the older man before he'd bent down to check the vitals of the figure at his feet, his face blank of expression as he'd risen back up to his full height and ordered his men to take to younger man off to get treatment, making it clear that it was his intention to keep him alive.

Despite their differences in their beliefs and the way they each led their lives it was obvious that Count Dooku was damn well enamoured with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Held in high regard even by his enemies, it made Anakin furious.

Why was it that everyone was so blind to Obi-Wan's flaws and yet so eager to point out his own?

While Dooku had waited for his men to remove the Jedi from the luxurious room the Sith lord surveyed the state of it, particularly the plush bed, his eyes hovering over the strewn sheets before his eyes had slowly looked up at the mirror that Anakin sat behind.

It was then that a slow and steady grin had spread across his aged face, clearly goading Anakin and looking very smug.

He remembered narrowing his eyes and promising himself that some time in the not too distant future he'd make sure that the next time he was free and presented with the opportunity, he wouldn't hesitate to wipe that look right off of that face permanently.

In that circumstance it would all be so easy, however revenge on Obi-Wan would be a little harder to come by and require a lot more subtly.

Unfortunately for Anakin he still needed Obi-Wan to train him and put forward for the trials and until that time he would have no choice but to play the doting Padawan, ready to do as his Master asked.

He would have to be careful, find ways to get under Obi-Wan's skin and he could certainly start to plant the seeds that would later grow and destroy the 'special' one's reputation.

He'd make sure the council found out just what kind of Jedi their treasured Obi-Wan Kenobi really was.

Most of all he wished he could torment his Master with the knowledge that he was married to Padme and that it would be his bed that she would lie in and his body she would service.

If it didn't mean being kicked out of the order then he'd do it in a second.

For now though he'd have to wait until he was a knight and he'd successfully discredited Obi-Wan so that the council had no choice but to strip him of his Jedi status and throw him out of the order.

Then once Obi-Wan was at his lowest point he'd reveal the truth to him and he'd take great pleasure at shoving it right in his face.

Anakin knew that once they were all alone again the temptation to unleash his fury would be there straight away and he would have to work the hardest he ever had at dedicating himself to skill of self-discipline.

He could not let the impatience of his youth ruin his plans of revenge.

Movement caught his attention out the corner of his eye, a flash of white hair and ebony clothes were a blur until he blinked a few times and brought his vision back into perfect clarification.

Dooku's crooked smile awaited him and he had to suppress a satisfied one of his own, the old Sith thought he had all the power, the stupid fool had no idea what was in store for him.

Right now he may hold the key to his freedom but in doing so he was only going to bring about his own demise and Anakin couldn't wait to be their when his existence came to an end.

tbc...

Don't worry everyone he won't have it all his own way ;-) I really hope you all liked it and I'll get working through my drafts on the next chapter. The update may not be quick in coming as I want to make it worthy of all you wonderful people before it gets put up but there will be one coming in the not too distant furture. Take care and thankyou once again, Sassy x


	19. Chapter 19

Hello everyone! So after many re-writes I have the next chapter for you. It can really be tricky getting back into each character's head for each chapter and sometimes it takes a me a while to feel completely comfortable with the POV change because they're all at completely different places emotionally. Thankyou so much once again for all the reviews and favourites and alerts that you've all placed on this story, it never ceases to be an amazing feeling to know that so many people love this story so much. I know I say that nearly every time but its true.

Hoping you all enjoy this next step.

...

Purposely he strode down the corridors of his compound, his tall frame seeming to glide gracefully along in his march, a reminder of his training and stature.

He walked alone in quiet contemplation of all that was about to happen, eager to reunite his trio of captives and witness the fallout of the plan he'd dreamed up with his Master so many months ago.

Everything was now going to come to fruition and he couldn't help but indulge in the excitement of it. He was only sorry that once their space ship sped off and they went back to their previous lives, he would no longer continue to be a fly on the wall observing every moment of this tangled triangle.

In the next few minutes he'd be on that space craft confronting Anakin Skywalker and bringing them altogether again. It was all going to be delightfully wicked with each entrance having been orchestrated just how he wanted it; his men were simply left to carry out his orders.

Obi-Wan's actions may have put proceedings behind schedule slightly but nevertheless it could have all worked in the favour of Dooku's own Master in the end.

He smiled to himself as he thought back on it all. Had Anakin known that his Master would go to such lengths to protect Amidala? Surely the boy couldn't think that it had been the normal reaction of a Jedi, not even one that held his mission in the highest regard.

No, that kind of behaviour came from attachment, plain and simple.

Of course that attachment could be many different things but Dooku didn't think that Skywalker was emotionally mature enough to consider that, especially after what he'd seen. He couldn't blame the boy if he jumped straight to the obvious conclusion, it was what he and his Master had been hoping would happen after all.

Besides Dooku wasn't so sure that Skywalker would necessarily be wrong, something significant had happened down in that bedroom, he suspected something more than what he and Sidious had even hoped for.

He'd told Obi-Wan when he'd gone to collect the pair that he didn't think there were two actors that could have ever put on a performance like the one they had and that what he'd seen had been very real and he still believed in those words now.

He wasn't sure that it could be labelled as love so easily but there was definitely a profound attraction between Obi-Wan and Amidala and there would be no hiding it from now on, especially on her part.

Obi-Wan had his training to rely on and hide behind but what did she have? The world of politics certainly required a very tough poker face at times but that wouldn't prepare her mind for the scrutiny of the probing that she could be due to receive from her secret husband.

She may have learnt some tricks for protection from him but that would have been on the basis that any Jedi that may brush against her mind for stray thoughts would be playing fair, something Dooku was sure her tormented husband would not be considering.

It had been planned that Amidala would arrive shortly before Obi-Wan because he desperately wanted to be there when both the Senator and the Padawan saw the Master Jedi again. More than that though he wanted to witness Anakin seeing Amidala's reaction to the return of her injured protector.

There was no doubt in his mind that Anakin would study her intently and in turn Dooku would be studying him, waiting to see the first flickers of mistrust play across his face when he saw the pair of them brought together again.

How would she behave?

She had been distraught when he'd had his troops take her away after he'd shot the Jedi but then when he'd gone to see her not so long ago she'd seemed so withdrawn, almost defeated.

Which side of her would be on show the next time they met?

Coming to a stop at the bottom of the ramp leading up to the small space craft he'd provided them with, an eagerness rose up inside him again as he reminded himself that he didn't have to wait much longer to find out.

Ascending the ramp he probed the force and felt awash with loathing, the feeling only getting stronger with every step that brought him closer to the troubled young man waiting for him.

The ugly emotion was a welcoming beacon that only gave him further satisfaction. There were no stray thoughts being broadcast through the force, remarkably the boy still had control of them. It was only this one emotion bleeding through that was proof of the first crack in the Padawan's armour.

Dooku's smile had started to stretch across his wrinkled face before he'd even stepped onto the bridge of the ship and simply spread more once his eyes settled on Anakin.

The boy seemed to be in some sort of daze of his own thoughts and was unaware of his arrival in this moment and he took the advantage to get a good look at the Jedi in training.

His haggard appearance told him more than any words ever could, Anakin was not in a good place mentally and it was obvious that without access to the wisdom that his Master possessed the boy had no hope of avoiding falling into his trap.

Looking at Skywalker now it didn't appear that any kind of meditation would help him, silence and solitude hadn't been very kind companions to him and it seemed that he'd fallen a long way off the path of a Jedi Padawan.

In the eyes of a Jedi he would most definitely be failing this test of his commitment and strength to their cause but in those of a Sith he was passing with distinction.

It was with great reluctance that he moved further into the room, distracting the young man from his thoughts.

A sudden change in the boy's posture told him he had his full attention and he wasted no more time.

"Hello Padawan Skywalker." Dooku paused only briefly to see if he would get any kind of reply from the Padawan and when none was forthcoming he merely smiled more widely and carried on.

"As you can see I'm staying true to my word. In no time at all you, your Master and the Senator will be on your way back to Coruscant." He gestured around the control room, noticing that Anakin's gaze had yet to stray from himself; it was both thrilling and unnerving all at once.

"I'm sure you've had a good look at what this ship has to offer. She may not turn out to be the most distinguished vessel you'll fly in but she'll get you to your destination without any detours, that I can guarantee. My men have made the necessary modifications and the ship will not stray from its programmed course and it goes without saying, I'm sure, that there's no weapons of any kind in working order, just in case a blitz attack crossed your mind."

A wicked smirk crossed Anakin's face before he broke his silence, his eyes drifting around the room and at his bindings. "The idea is very satisfying but it's unlikely that I'd be of much trouble in my state. Am I to stay bound until I reach Coruscant too?"

"You'll be pleased to know that once you're out of the planet's atmosphere your force collar and handcuffs will deactivate." Anakin gave a small nod of approval and Dooku had to wonder which side of the force he'd reach out to first.

With such a feral look in his eyes he felt there was little doubt that it would be the darkside but with Obi-Wan's presence would the brightness of his aura distract that need and make him fall back on old habits?

Silence stretched on with the Padawan just staring at him and Dooku felt it time to give the boy his so-called victory.

"You've handled yourself impeccably my boy and it pains me to admit that I was wrong about an inappropriate attachment to Senator Amidala. You would have all made excellent trophies to the Separatist side of the war but you especially would have been a grand prize. The Jedi and the Republic would be lost without you."

He watched Anakin sit up straighter and he could see his ego almost doubling in size. The boy didn't even try to conceal his pride and self importance. It was so easy to sway him with flattery that he didn't even see the truth of the situation he was so deluded.

How unfortunate that the victor didn't actually realise that he was the loser in all this.

"The Senator and your Master will be joining us shortly and then you'll be on your way. I'm almost tempted to double cross you and attack the ship but I won't, we had a gentlemen's agreement after all." For a moment he considered that he may be laying it on a little thick but it seemed the boy didn't think him insincere and was preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Anakin Skywalker had been defeated.

In the last day the lightside of the force had already sustained a crushing loss and the future victims were totally unaware. The Jedi council in their arrogance had underestimated the strength and will of the darkside.

He was sure that Master Yoda, in particular, wished that Qui-Gon had never found Anakin Skywalker. If the ancient Master had spent less time trying to solve the problem of their so-called Chosen One then maybe he would have discovered the hidden treasure they have in Obi-Wan.

Time was no longer on their side and their inaction had sealed their fate.

Coming to stand in front of the windows of the bridge he could see Senator Amidala arriving and with her, the moment of truth.

Her demeanour was still of the sullen, defeated woman he'd seen maybe only an hour ago. She didn't exactly walk with a hunched posture but he could tell that her frame had lost some of its grandeur, a spark had gone out in her somewhat.

Without fuss she obediently followed his troops, restrained but not to the point where she couldn't struggle if she wanted to.

Slowly he came back around the room so that he would have the perfect vantage point to see the secret couple's reunion.

Concealed by his men upon her entrance he chose to focus his attention on Skywalker first, eager to catch every piece of emotion that would strike his face as he finally saw her again.

It was only a few seconds before his men stepped aside and revealed her to the room.

He saw Anakin's eyes dilate instantly with what could have been desire or anger or in fact the two emotions mixed together. The only physical give away of the torrid of emotions he must be going through was a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth and then nothing.

Dooku was amazed to say the least. Never before had he seen him reign in his emotions so much.

Truly fascinated he reluctantly turned his attention to Amidala and despite a moment of relief at seeing Anakin was safe her face returned to a blank mask.

He watched as the two of them locked eyes for a count of five while a blush rose up in Amidala's cheeks, which continued to glow still after she broke the contact, her head dipping ever so slightly.

With her face so vacant he found himself caught up in the ambiguity of her blush. What did it mean? Was she only embarrassed or was she indeed actually ashamed?

He hoped that Anakin found it just as confusing to try and figure out.

He had to admit that he didn't honestly expect her to reveal too much of the inner workings of her mind, not when he was present. She no doubt thought that he'd already seen enough and he had to agree with that, he'd seen plenty.

"Senator Amidala, good of you to join us." He cut through the silence in an attempt to draw her attention to him and in effect get a glimpse of her eyes and catch what may be hidden within them.

He did succeed in gaining her focus and when he gave her a casual sweep of the body with his own eyes he saw a spark of her usual fierceness light up inside hers and it made him smile.

Defiance seemed to build up inside her and give her strength and it looked like she might tell him off but something stopped her and instead she turned away from him without a word.

He chuckled inwardly and wondered if she would remain this strong once Obi-Wan re-appeared; given the state she had been in the last time she'd seen him.

He had been most shocked at her reaction after he'd shot Obi-Wan. Such emotion had poured out of her and it was an incredible sight to see such a guarded woman so undone.

He knew that he couldn't have been the only one to have been so surprised and the reminder of that other person drew his eyes back to Anakin.

Dooku had to think that the boy couldn't have expected his wife to act in such a way no matter how passionate a person he knew her to be.

His fascination with the fallout of his plan continued to grow inside of him and he made a promise to himself to keep his ear to the ground and collect whatever scraps of information he could get about the lives of his three prisoners once they were back out enjoying their freedom.

He wouldn't be content knowing nothing after being this close to the beginning of their end.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed just how long the silence between all of them had stretched on for until the sound of footsteps against the metal platform that granted entrance to the ship broke through the haze.

He smiled broadly with the knowledge that Obi-Wan was about to join them and the next step of his voyeuristic dream was about to begin.

There was no missing the fact that Anakin's interest had been peaked as Dooku saw the boy's eyes fix themselves on the passageway just off the entrance to the bridge, a real look of hunger inside them.

Anakin's unwavering gaze ate up the sight of his unconscious Master being brought on board tied to a stretcher, a small amount of concern flickering in their depth surprising the old Sith.

Dooku hadn't been sure that such a compassionate emotion would show up in Anakin at all in any amount and he wasn't completely happy it had appeared.

It would have left things a lot more uncomplicated had it not arisen and wouldn't have given him any cause for concern to be leaving the Padawan in the company of a bright soul such as Obi-Wan.

His rational mind told him that the boy was too far gone to be swept up in Obi-Wan's pure goodness but there was a niggling thought that reminded him just how overwhelming it could be to be in the presence of that goodness for prolonged amounts of time.

It was that little thought that planted a tiny seed of doubt in Dooku's mind about the success of his plan but he soon released the doubt out into the force.

He had no time for doubt and experience had shown him that the kind of rage he'd felt emanating from Anakin could not be easily overcome by the light, especially the way the Padawan had been indulging in the forbidden emotion.

Even though he felt like he'd conceived of every possible outcome of this situation he was reminded that no plan could go exactly as the planner wanted, chance always had its say in the matter.

That flicker of concern was evidence of that but surely chance wouldn't interfere with the outcome he wanted?

Not this late in the game.

Tbc...

The ending of that chapter kind of snuck up on me a little earlier than I had originally planned but the rest of what's coming works better in another POV. It was good to catch up with Dooku as he's the one I've spent the least amount of time working on. Hope you all liked it. As always let me know what you thought. I'll aim to have another chapter done in the next couple of months or sooner if I can. Thank you all so much. Sassy xx


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